A mother and daughter in law build a home for the game in Tyrone

Plenty of players learn the game and then discover the hard part: finding three other people to play with. Lori Millican and Victoria Millican solved that problem in the most thorough way available. They opened a studio.

Tile & Table, at 868 Senoia Road in downtown Tyrone, Georgia, was named Business of the Week by The Citizen on November 11. The paper tells how the two women, a mother in law and daughter in law, took a class together at Lori's suggestion, loved it, and then found they had nobody to play with but each other. When a space came open downtown, they moved quickly.

From a security office to a room of tables

The studio sits in what was once a security business office. According to The Citizen, the Millicans painted, took out interior dividers and rearranged the cabinets to make room for gaming tables. The room now holds as many as 36 players.

They opened on August 29, and the owners told the paper more than 200 people came to the grand opening. The studio offers lessons, open play and private events, and memberships that can include retail discounts, lower rates for private events and guest passes. A group chat helps a player who arrives alone find a table.

The Citizen lists regular open play at $20 a person for a two hour session, or $80 for a table of four, with a drink and a snack included. Through the end of the year, drop in play on Tuesdays and Thursdays is $10 a person. The studio keeps weekday hours, with evening events and Saturday gatherings by arrangement, and The Citizen notes ties with the Fayette Mahj Social Club nearby.

A free day before Thanksgiving

The date to mark is Friday, November 20. The Citizen reports that Tile & Table will hold a Pink Friday with free play from 10 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, along with discounted merchandise. The studio then closes for Thanksgiving week from Wednesday, November 25, through Friday, November 27.

The studio's own site invites visitors to open play, beginner classes and private gatherings, and its shop carries the 2026 Beginner Mahjong Card and the 2026 Little Mahj Card, both made for the American game. Lessons and open play are booked through the studio's online calendar.

OOTT is not affiliated with Tile & Table and does not sell mahjong sets.

“Tell us what works for you, and we'll make that happen.”Lori Millican, co owner, Tile & Table, in The Citizen

Prim's view

This is Prim's opinion. The best clubs begin with a small, honest problem. Two women wanted a game and could not find one, so they built the room where a game could always be found. That is a generous answer to a lonely question.

Prim especially admires the promise Lori Millican gave the paper, that the studio will fit itself around the players rather than the other way round. A new player is far more likely to come back to a room that bends a little for her.

If you live near Fayette County and have been meaning to try a table, November 20 costs nothing but an afternoon. Bring a friend, and ask about the beginner classes while you are there.