Above: Darien’s resident Mahjong enthusiastic Alyssa Tierney of Monograms Off Madison will personalize tile pouches and tote bags to carry your entire Mahjong set.
Darien’s Alyssa Tierney, owner of Monograms Off Madison, started playing Mahjong during the summers with her friends in Bay Head, New Jersey. She was immediately hooked and started to recruit friends in Darien to play. She even hired an instructor and held group classes at her studio in Norwalk, where they taught more than 100 students in a period of three months. Of course, all these new Mahjong players need cute accessories, and Tierney (aka A.Tierney for any of you who might remember the classic New York boutique) has it covered. She sells tiles, pushers, racks, rolls, mats and whatshe calls the “perfect Mahjong tote.” The tote, made by New Canaan-based TRVL Design, perfectly fits everything you need to play and it can be monogrammed to match your set. monogramsoffmadison.com
Learn Locally
As Mahjong becomes more and more popular, you can find local organizations like the Darien Community Association that are offering group classes. But act fast, because they fill up quickly. Another option is to organize your own small group and bring in a private instructor. Two local certified instructors recommended by Tierney are Jen Anderson (jenanderson6599@ gmail.com, 203-253- 7245) and Christy Duggan (203-253-0120). Tierney also recommends downloading the app “Real Mah Jongg” to practice while learning.