Tiles click together as community members play mahjong at the first-ever studio on the Main Line at Eagle Village. Main Line Mahjong opened on April 13 to provide the community a space to learn mahjong and play with friends. Meghan Boss, Karla Crockett and Suzett Hamilton started the studio to create a dedicated setting for mahjong instruction and play.

Main Line Mahjong teaches and specializes in American mahjong, a four-player tile game that uses a set of 152 tiles and an annually released card determining official winning hands. Each player begins with 13 tiles and cycles through drawing and discarding tiles. The tiles feature different symbols, suits and numbers which players consolidate to create a winning hand.

“I was teaching friends of friends, and I started teaching strangers, and it was occupying so much of my time. I realized the value of teaching people that I didn’t know,” Hamilton said. “The studio expanded through word of mouth and there is so much demand. (The owners of the studio and I) had to find a place that we could afford to rent. We had to accommodate everyone that wanted to learn and there were way more people that wanted to learn than we had time to teach.”

Boss, Crockett and Hamilton had been playing American mahjong for years before they began teaching in private homes. As demand increased, they decided to create a formal studio space. The studio offers classes for both beginner and experienced players, including instruction on techniques such as the Charleston and guided play sessions for less experienced players.

“I think that ladies are coming in and meeting new people, which is overwhelmingly positive. People are looking for a place to connect with other people and it doesn’t have to do with sports or athletics. It’s not around eating or drinking and that’s what’s nice about it,” Hamilton said. “The most rewarding part is seeing all of the friendships form.”

The studio offers an environment of community and growth. Alongside regular classes, it also hosts a variety of community-focused events such as occasional fitness workshops and jewelry-making sessions. Visitor Caitlin Craven enjoys coming to the unique sessions, playing mahjong with community members and engaging in everything else the studio has to offer.

“Karla, Suzett and Meghan have started this wonderful studio here in Wayne, Pennsylvania and it is just so lively and wonderful. I wanted to come with my friends and play mahjong,” Craven said. “It (spending time at the studio) really is like a brain camp, so it makes you feel like you’re working, and then also you do build this wonderful community and you get to gossip and hang out and just have the time of your life.”

Rishika Bhattacharya can be reached at [email protected].