‘Our biggest challenge has been keeping them in stock’: Mahjong sets are big business for brands

In 2023, Oh My Mahjong generated $1 million in sales. In 2025, that number rose to $40 million. Oh My Mahjong has already surpassed that figure in 2026.

“There was nothing in the market like there is now,” Trottier said. “Now, everywhere you look, there’s something mahjong.”

Mahjong — a game that combines both luck and skill — is having a moment as a new generation discovers the pastime. Mahjong originated during the 1800s in China and expanded to the U.S. and Europe in the 1900s. Today, it has become popular among young people seeking out tactile, offline experiences. On Google, searches for “mahjong” are up 70% year over year in the U.S. and up 50% globally since 2021, per Google Trends.

In the U.S., mahjong is enjoying a renaissance, alongside analog activities like collecting vinyl records or crocheting. “I think we live in such a digital world that people crave connection,” Trottier said. “[Mahjong] forces you to put your phone down. It forces you to find three people to play with. It forces you to use your brain. You can’t drink too much [because you need to concentrate]. All these trends that people are craving, [mahjong] brings together, at one table.”

Similar to the rise of tabletop games, many retailers today carry mahjong and are adding more styles each year. Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, for instance, sell different types of sets, including travel versions. People can also buy mahjong tiles and accessories via Amazon, Walmart, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Hot Topic and even Temu. There are plenty of mahjong-inspired products, too, like socks from Sock Candy, beaded bags from Ink + Alloy, and playing cards from REI.

“It’s fun to see the evolution over the past four years,” Trottier said. “You were begging people to carry you, and now, they’re coming to you.”

‘I don’t even see our full demand’

Oh My Mahjong has added dozens of SKUs since 2022 as demand builds. Its bestsellers include mats and tile sets, the latter of which can retail for $400. Today, the brand has a presence in more than 2,000 retail doors and sells a mat every 10 seconds.

Oh My Mahjong’s business is 60% DTC and 40% wholesale, with partners including Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Tuckernuck. Oh My Mahjong also recently opened an 80,000-square-foot warehouse in Texas and is launching an app to connect people with other mahjong players. Trottier even recently wrote a book about mahjong that’s now a New York Times bestseller.

Limited-edition sets are powering some of the brand’s growth, too. In early October, Oh My Mahjong released a collaboration with LoveShackFancy that sold out in under five minutes. Its website also debuts new tile designs regularly, with names like Papaya Spritz and Emerald. The products have become collectibles, especially among members of the brand’s Mahji Mentorship program, a network of thousands of teachers across the U.S.

“Lots of people will have three, four, five mats,” Trottier said. “Some of our teachers have 20 tile [sets]. … And depending on what [events] they host, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s fall. I’m going to get out my fall mat with my more fall tiles.'”

Jonathan Adler introduced mahjong sets in 2025 to complement its other offerings like backgammon, tic-tac-toe and chess. The home brand, started in 1993 by designer and potter Jonathan Adler, sells furniture, lighting and accessories. Alison Bergen, president of Jonathan Adler, said it took a year to develop the mahjong sets, which retail for $695, with the exception of the brand’s lower-priced sets and mats found at Michaels.

Today, mahjong is the fastest-growing category within games at Jonathan Adler. “Our biggest challenge has been keeping [the sets] in stock,” Bergen said. “I don’t even see our full demand. This summer, everything was sold [out] by the time it landed because we have pre-orders from wholesale customers. … We don’t even have time to see price resistance because we’re just selling through.”

Bergen believes mahjong is taking off because it’s community-building and “brings different age groups together.” She said that, at Jonathan Adler, people are buying mahjong sets for interior-design purposes, as well. The sets are functional, but also decorative, and can be laid out on the coffee table or an ottoman. In fact, one of the brand’s bestselling products is its Jacques Game Table ($2,350), which can be used for mahjong.

The excitement around mahjong is making Jonathan Adler want to lean into the trend more, Bergen said. It’s now looking at how it can nod to mahjong in other products, like pillows or drinkware.

Increasingly, the brand is “thinking about moments in the home,” Bergen said. “Games aren’t just about games — they’re [about] everything around the games. What’s she serving at game night? What’s on the plate? What’s the table? We’re kind of building a universe … around entertainment.”

Jonathan Adler can also customize mahjong sets for corporate gifts or weddings. The brand even held a mahjong event in one of its New York City stores, and it hopes to sell sets during the holidays. Mahjong, as a whole, has “been a great customer acquisition opportunity for us, for sure,” Bergen said.

Socializing and supply chains

As mahjong becomes more popular with people of all ages, fans are taking to the internet to organize tournaments or trade tips and tricks. The mahjong subreddit has 37,000 weekly visitors, and more than 150,000 TikTok posts use the hashtag #mahjong. Creators play up the “click clack” sounds the tiles make — seemingly tailor-made for social media’s ASMR age — while others do unboxings. One TikToker’s video of her mother recounting “mahjong drama at her retirement home” garnered more than 200,000 likes.

Even hotels are getting in on the mahjong craze. The St. Regis New York in midtown Manhattan launched Mahjong Mondays last summer, and the experience sold out each week, per Forbes. Last September, the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles launched a monthly American Mahjong series using Oh My Mahjong tiles and mats. Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas hosts “Tiles and Tinis” mahjong events every six weeks.

While mahjong is jokingly referred to as a “grandma activity,” many people buying sets today are learning the game from older relatives. Rachel Canowitz, an HR professional living in New York, learned how to play mahjong from her grandmother in December. “She’s been playing as long as I can remember,” Canowitz told Modern Retail. Canowitz bought her own set on Amazon in August for $70 and has since taught friends across the country how to play.

“I really enjoy the strategy,” Canowitz said. “My family has played a lot of set games, and this feels like an advanced version of those. It’s super satisfying to win, because it feels like such an uphill battle. Plus, I’ve been having fun making it more social, getting my friends to play and having a game night.”

Even with all the hype, mahjong brands are feeling growing pains due to import duties, higher petroleum prices and larger macroeconomic uncertainty. Jonathan Adler makes its mahjong tiles in China, where U.S. tariffs hit triple-digit percentages in 2025. Oh My Mahjong also produces its acrylic tiles overseas and raised its prices in 2025 amid rising manufacturing costs. Nowadays, the situation has normalized a bit, Trottier said. “It doesn’t seem to be that crazy of an environment of stuff changing on the daily.”

Though it’s not even November yet, retail companies such as Uncommon Goods and Ink + Alloy have already started marketing holiday gifts for mahjong lovers. Oh My Mahjong, likewise, is focused on the holidays and has developed Christmas mats and mahjong-themed ornaments. The brand sees more opportunities for growth in 2027 as new players catch on.

“We’re really excited about all the stuff on the horizon,” Trottier said. “[Mahjong accessories] is an emerging market, so it’s not like there’s a playbook on how to do it. … We’re building it as we go.”