Magnolia Mahjong House brings people back to the table

• The tiles may bring people through the door, but community is what will keep them coming back.

Step inside Magnolia Mahjong House in Ridgeland, and you’ll quickly discover that this isn’t simply a place to play a game.

It’s a place to gather.

It’s a place to learn.

It’s a place to laugh, fellowship, and maybe make a few new friends along the way. In a world where so much of life now happens through screens, Magnolia Mahjong House is bringing people back around the table—something its owners, Larry Wellington, his wife, Jessica, and Larry’s mother, Tammy, believe is needed now more than ever.

Located at 588 Century Place in Ridgeland, next door to the family’s longtime business, Earth Walk Shoes, Magnolia Mahjong House recently opened as the first dedicated mahjong space in the Jackson metro area. While the business may be new, the family behind it is anything but new to serving the community.

“We’ve had Earth Walk Shoes since 1998,” Larry shared during a recent interview. “This is not our first rodeo,” he shared with a laugh. 

For nearly three decades, Earth Walk Shoes has welcomed customers from across Mississippi and beyond. Over the years, those customers have become more like friends, something the Wellington family doesn’t take lightly. Larry, who grew up in Mississippi, and Jessica, a Maryland native who has called Mississippi home for more than 20 years, have built their businesses—and their lives—on relationships. Now, alongside Tammy, they’re bringing that same spirit of hospitality to their newest venture.

“We’re looking to bring that same level of customer service, product knowledge, and the same things that make our shoe business successful,” Larry said.

Like many successful  Mississippi businesses, Magnolia Mahjong House began with family, a shared hobby, and a simple observation: people needed a place to gather.

Larry, Jessica, and Tammy had all fallen in love with American mahjong and watched as the game’s popularity exploded across the South. Yet despite the growing interest, there wasn’t a dedicated space in the Jackson area where players could regularly meet.

“My wife, my mom, and I have all gotten into the game over time and just saw how explosive the growth was,” Larry explained. “There was no dedicated space for players to come.”

Instead, local players often found themselves bouncing between restaurants, libraries, coffee shops, and living rooms.

“There are a lot of pop-up groups, and they’re constantly trying to find places to play,” Larry said. “Even when you have friend groups, it’s always, ‘Who’s going to host this week?’ or ‘My house isn’t clean,’ or ‘The dog is being wild,’ or ‘The kids are sick.'”

The family envisioned something different: a permanent home where people could simply show up, settle in, and enjoy each other’s company.

The name itself reflects that vision.

“We named it Magnolia Mahjong House,” Larry said. ” We wanted something that sounded welcoming and inviting, cozy and homey.”

The “Magnolia” portion, of course, is a nod to Mississippi and the South, while also capturing the warm, welcoming atmosphere the family hopes guests experience.

Larry admitted that his fondness for alliteration may have helped seal the deal.

“It’s evocative of the South and our great state of Mississippi,” he said. “And it’s alliterative. I tend to like alliteration in names, so that helps sell it a little bit.”

It’s safe to say the community was ready for it.

During the business’s soft opening, 200 people stopped by to tour the space, meet the family, and celebrate MHM’s opening.

Inside, guests will find nine playing tables, including a premium automatic table that shuffles tiles and builds walls automatically. Players can reserve an entire table for a group of four, reserve a single seat and be paired with other players, or simply stop by for open play. Walk-ins are welcome, although reservations are encouraged.

The house also offers beginner classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, open play sessions throughout the week, special events, tournaments, and private rentals for parties, charity functions, and corporate team-building activities. The family also plans to bring in guest instructors to offer strategy sessions and advanced lessons for experienced players looking to sharpen their skills.

Those beginner classes are especially important because, despite its growing popularity, mahjong can feel intimidating to newcomers.

“The card itself is a big part of trying to figure out what everything means and how to interpret it,” Larry explained. “That can be a tough entry point for a lot of new players.”

But perhaps the most surprising part of the recent mahjong boom is who is showing up to play.

“It’s really widespread,” Larry said. “At the soft opening, we had a couple of tables that were full of teenage girls, and we had ladies come in on walkers—all age groups enjoy playing Mahjong. 

Even more meaningful has been watching generations connect across the table.

“When we did lessons yesterday, we actually had a couple of mother-daughter pairs,” Larry shared. “Moms and their late-teen or early-twenties daughters are using it as an opportunity to bond and have an activity they can do together.”

For the Wellington family, that’s really what this venture is all about.

“What we would really like people to know is that obviously this is a business—we wouldn’t have started it without that intent—but more importantly, we want it to be something that’s going to help build the community,” Larry said. “Giving people a place to fellowship, meet new people, learn a great game, and have a good time.”

As I talked with Larry, I couldn’t help but think that Magnolia Mahjong House feels a lot like an old-fashioned front porch—just with tiles instead of rocking chairs. In a time when genuine connection can sometimes feel hard to come by, creating a space where people can sit down, laugh, learn something new, and build friendships may be exactly what many of us have been missing.

The tiles may bring people through the door, but community is what will keep them coming back.