A Founder Story, Generations in the Making.
Mahjong was around me long before I ever sat down to play.
Some of my earliest memories are from when I was probably four years old, lying in bed at night and hearing the tiles shuffle down the hall. My mom had a weekly Mahjong group, and even though I was supposed to be asleep, I remember the sound of it.
The tiles. The laughing. The words I kept hearing over and over: bam, dot, crak. That was the soundtrack of my childhood.
For years, my mom and my friends tried to get me to play. I said no. Not because I didn’t like games. I love games. But Mahjong felt like my Grandma Joyce’s game and my mom’s game. It was their thing, their table, their world. I didn’t want to join what felt like their hobby.
Then one day, thanks to the Jennifers in my life, I finally gave in. And, of course, I got hooked.
How Mahjong Became Part of the Business
Mahjong by SI did not start because Mahjong was suddenly everywhere.
It started because a game I had spent years avoiding somehow became part of my everyday life.
I have always been an entrepreneur. Over the past two decades, I have built businesses in media, events, products, printing, and fabrication. Each one taught me how to take an idea seriously, build the process behind it, and turn it into something real.
Today, I own Signs by SI, a full-service print and fabrication company based in Atlanta. We produce signage, event installations, branded pieces, and custom printed products for clients across the country.
Long before Mahjong by SI had a name, we were already producing custom Mahjong mats through Signs by SI. For the past five years, we have been behind the scenes printing mats, testing materials, adjusting color, improving the process, and learning what actually works when people sit down to play.
This isn’t new for us. It’s something we’ve already done.
My family is part of the business too. My husband and three kids are in it with me, which makes Mahjong by SI feel even more personal.
Mahjong by SI brings a lot of those pieces together: family, creativity, production, business, and a game that somehow keeps pulling people back to the table.
Designed by Artists, Printed with Care
Mahjong by SI mats are created through a mix of in-house design, thoughtful creative direction, and artist collaborations with talented makers across the country.
Our in-house designer helps shape the visual direction of the brand across product, web, and social, making sure each design feels elevated, intentional, and true to the Mahjong by SI aesthetic.
We also collaborate with local artists and independent creatives who bring their own style, perspective, and original artwork to the table. These collaborations allow us to support real artists, introduce fresh designs, and bring more art, talent, and personality into the mahjong community.
Every mat is created with both beauty and gameplay in mind. We look closely at color, scale, layout, print quality, durability, and finish so each piece feels special on the table and works for the way people actually play.
What started as the sound of tiles keeping me up at night has come full circle. Now Mahjong is part of my everyday life, just like it was for my mom and my Grandma Joyce. It still brings people to the table. It still creates noise and laughter and connection. And now, I get to be part of carrying that forward in my own way.
bam. dot. crak. ♡
Stacie Ivers Francombe | Founder, Mahjong by SI + Signs by SI