Call for Mahjong
Call for Mahjong designs tiles, mats, racks and other accessories at a more affordable price point. The company was founded by Larissa Somaio in Virginia in 2026. What started as a love for the game turned into a mission: to create cute, thoughtfully designed mahjong sets that don’t come with a luxury price tag. Each drop is limited-edition, so every set feels a little special—just like the people playing it.
What do you love most about mahjong?
The opportunity to turn my brain off, if that makes sense. When I’m playing, I get to focus on one goal, which is to work on my winning hand.
Why did you decide to start your own brand?
I started Call for Mahjong after realizing I wanted a set I actually loved and could afford, and I figured other people probably felt the same. I’m a marketing professional in tech, working in the student safety space. It can get heavy at times, and mahjong design felt like a great creative outlet. When my husband lost his job, it also became an opportunity to bring in additional income for our family while doing something creative I cared about. What started as “I’m going to do a small batch and see how it goes” turned into a true passion. As I connected more with customers and the mahjong community, I received amazing support and feedback. I started to feel like I was betting on myself and building something I never had the confidence to do before.
What is special about your products?
What makes my products special is that they’re shaped by how the game is actually played. I take real player feedback and turn it into cohesive, functional sets that feel good to use and fun to play with. I’m also very intentional about sourcing and materials, so the experience matches the design. Small drops let me keep refining things as I go.
Tell us about your design process!
My design process used to be more individual research-driven, but over time I’ve built a community that provides an amazing feedback loop, which I really rely on now. I love being able to collaborate with multiple people in the mahjong community and design with their input in mind. That collaboration is actually how I ended up partnering with one of my customers to create mats, which has been one of my favorite parts of the process.
Can you tell us about a business challenge you’ve experienced and how it was solved or handled?
There are no shortage of challenges in a startup business, but recently a big one has been transitioning from selling solely on Etsy to building my own website and driving traffic independently. Etsy was an easy starting point for reach, but the forced ad fees were taking a significant portion of each sale, so moving off-platform meant rebuilding my audience and learning how to create traction through social media and my own site—which has definitely been a learning curve.
Another ongoing challenge is managing pre-orders and customs delays. When shipments are pushed back, it directly impacts customers, which is always hard. I’ve learned that the best way to handle it is to be proactive—communicating early, setting expectations clearly, and keeping customers updated throughout the process so they feel informed rather than left waiting.
Provide a quick overview of your customer service policies.
I handle customer service personally and try to be responsive, clear, and easy to reach. I started selling on Etsy and am a Star Seller, which reflects consistent communication and reliable fulfillment. My goal is always to make things right and build trust with every customer, whether that’s answering questions, resolving issues fairly, or improving the experience where I can. I’ve even added a chat feature on my website so people can reach me more easily and get real-time support when they need.
Tell us about life before Call for Mahjong!
Before mahjong took over my life, I used to be an avid fantasy reader. I love lounging by the pool with a good book. This summer I’m looking forward to mah-jing IN the pool!
Check out Call for Mahjong!