The Queen’s Mahjery, a new mahjong studio, will open in Oakhurst Commons off Monroe Road.
Why it matters: The founders hope Charlotte’s first brick-and-mortar mahjong studio will create a new third place for people to gather around a shared interest in the centuries-old Chinese strategy game that’s surged in popularity in recent years.
State of play: Lauren Ulrey, Jennifer Ross and Patti Roth are the founders behind The Queen’s Mahjery, as Tiny Money first reported. Their daughters have practiced gymnastics for years at a studio on Monroe Road.
- Soon, the women were playing mahjong together in Ulrey’s mahjong room at her home.
- While visiting family in Dallas, Ross went to a mahjong studio. She returned and told her friends about the experience, and the trio decided to open a studio in Charlotte.
- “It can be difficult to find a place [to play mahjong],” Ulrey tells Axios.
Go deeper: Charlotte homes are making room for mahjong…