Where The Winds Blow

What Where The Winds Blow does

Where The Winds Blow is a privately held direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer specializing in American Mah Jongg products, operating from a Houston, Texas headquarters with a warehouse and distribution facility in Jersey Village, Texas. The company sells tiles (American, Asian, custom, glitter, solid color, and vision-impaired variants), preassembled sets, accessories (cases, bags, racks, pushers, table covers, dice), annual league score cards from multiple Mah Jongg organizations, automatic Mah Jongg tables, themed merchandise, and educational materials. Its product surface spans more than 305 SKUs at price points ranging from approximately $7 for small accessories to $1,950 for premium automatic tables.

The retailer differentiates primarily through customization depth: a proprietary DIY Custom Tile Design web tool enables self-service tile personalization with real-time preview, supported by an extensive graphics library and embroidery color library, plus in-house engraving, printing, and embroidery services. Customization carries incremental fees ranging from $15 to $175 plus tile cost, with 4-6 week production lead times and expedited 2-3 week options. The company's underlying technology is a standard WordPress/WooCommerce-style e-commerce stack augmented by the interactive design configurator rather than a custom-built platform.

The business model is one-time product sales with ancillary customization and customization-service fees, supplemented by an annual card business tied to league schedule cycles. Marketing channels center on the owned e-commerce site, blog content, email newsletter capture, Instagram organic social, and a teacher referral discount program. The company operates exclusively as a direct-to-consumer storefront within the United States, with no disclosed wholesale, marketplace, or international distribution. It is founder/owner-operated following an October 2019 ownership transition, with no institutional funding evidenced.

Name

Where The Winds Blow

Legal name

Where The Winds Blow

Website

https://wherethewindsblow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Board Games and Mah Jongg Products

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Miniatures & Figurines (Display/Collectible) (CRALAKAB), Tabletop RPG Miniatures & Terrain (CRALAKAD)

Keywords

• Mah Jongg tiles
• Custom game tiles
• Board game sets
• Game accessories retail
• Vision impaired tiles

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time purchase model for physical Mah Jongg products including tiles, sets, accessories, bags, cards, tables, and themed gifts. Products range from individual tiles ($10-$450) to complete sets ($130-$420) and automatic tables ($1,950).
2. Customization Services: Additional fees for custom tile engraving, printing, and embroidery. Text-only custom jokers $40, graphic jokers $50, text and graphic $60. Full set engraving $175 plus tile cost. Custom embroidery $15-$20 depending on item. Setup fees for custom graphics $35.
3. Mah Jongg Cards: Annual league cards from various Mah Jongg organizations (National Mah Jongg League, Siamese League, etc.) sold as subscription-style annual products ranging $8-$16.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Where The Winds Blow is an online and in-store retailer that sells American and Asian Mah Jongg sets, tiles, accessories, custom-engraved tiles, and Mah Jongg-themed gifts. The company also offers customization services including a do-it-yourself online tile design tool, custom engraving, printing, and embroidery for tiles, sets, and bags. Products range from individual tiles ($10) and complete sets ($130-$420) up to premium automatic Mah Jongg tables ($1,950).

Product overview

Where The Winds Blow is an e-commerce retailer specializing in premium American Mah Jongg products. The core offerings include Mah Jongg tiles (American, Asian, custom, and vision-impaired variants) and preassembled sets (Special Value Sets and Full Custom Sets), complemented by accessories (cases, bags, racks, pushers, cards, dice, table covers), equipment (automatic Mah Jongg tables), themed merchandise (housewares, apparel, jewelry, stationery), and educational materials (books, learning games). The company offers extensive customization options through DIY design tools and pre-designed custom tile sets, allowing customers to personalize tiles with graphics, text, and monograms via engraving or printing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mah Jongg Tiles Premium Mah Jongg tiles available in American, Asian, custom, glitter, pattern, solid color, and vision impaired variants, including travel and jumbo size options for individual and replacement tile purchases.
• Special Value Sets (Preassembled Mah Jongg Sets) Complete preassembled Mah Jongg sets bundled with tiles, racks, pushers, and cases at discounted prices; includes beginner sets and themed collections priced from $135 to $420.
• Cases, Bags, and Purses Carrying cases, bags, and purses for Mah Jongg sets, including embroidered options and travel cases with wheels.
• Racks and Pushers Tile racks and pushers in various colors and materials including combo racks, wooden racks, and brass-finished options.
• Mah Jongg Cards Official annual score cards from various leagues including National Mah Jongg League, American Mah Jongg Association, Siamese, and Next Generation, priced $8-$16.
• Dice and Game Accessories Counting and betting accessories including dice, game accessories, and related items priced from $3 to $20.
• Mah Jongg Table Covers Neoprene and rubber-backed mats plus wool blend table covers with tile and word designs for Mah Jongg tables, priced $50-$110.
• Automatic Mah Jongg Tables Folding automatic Mah Jongg tables with built-in tile shuffling and automatic play features priced at $1,950.
• Mah Jongg-Themed Gifts Mah Jongg-themed merchandise including housewares, jewelry, apparel, stationery, mugs, aprons, and home decor items.
• Learn to Play Mah Jongg (Books and Learning Games) Books, flip guides, children's books, and learning games to teach Mah Jongg rules and strategies aimed at new players.
• Pre-Designed Custom Tile Sets Made-to-order custom Mah Jongg tile sets with pre-designed themes including animals, flowers, and patterns; ships in 4-6 weeks.
• Full Custom Sets Fully customizable Mah Jongg tile sets with customer-specified graphics, text, monograms, or designs engraved or printed on tiles, with full-set engraving available from $175 plus tile cost.
• Asian Mahjong Tiles Traditional Asian Mahjong tile sets in jumbo size with wood boxes or totes, available in green, silver, and gold finishes.
• Vision Impaired Mah Jongg Tiles Large print tiles designed for players with visual impairments, featuring enhanced readability and accessibility features.
• Bags with Embroidery (Custom Embroidery Service) Travel bags and cases with custom embroidery of monograms, names, or graphics using various thread colors from the company color library; embroidery add-on priced $15-$20 per item.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4-6 week production time for custom made-to-order tiles
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Miniature Market: Specialty hobby retailer focused on tabletop games, miniatures, and accessories. Comparable in serving the hobby tabletop game buyer, but does not specialize in Mah Jongg the way Where The Winds Blow does.
• CoolStuffInc: Large hobby and tabletop game retailer offering board games, miniatures, and hobby supplies. Comparable in serving hobbyist game customers, though not specializing in Mah Jongg tiles the way Where The Winds Blow does.

Direct peers

• The Mahjong Line: Direct competitor in designer and premium American Mah Jongg sets and accessories. Most analogous specialty Mah Jongg DTC retailer to Where The Winds Blow, recently acquired by Mattel which materially increases competitive intensity.
• Mahjong Sales: Long-running Mah Jongg retailer offering tiles, sets, and accessories across American, Chinese, and Japanese variants. Direct competitor in the same DTC Mah Jongg product category.
• Myrna's International: Specialty retailer of Mah Jongg sets, tiles, racks, and accessories with a strong American Mah Jongg focus. Comparable in product breadth and customer base to Where The Winds Blow.

Broad incumbents

• National Mah Jongg League: Long-established Mah Jongg organization that publishes the official NMJL card each year — sold by Where The Winds Blow. Comparable as a community hub and standards body for the American Mah Jongg hobby.
• American Mah Jongg Association: Industry organization and publisher of official American Mah Jongg cards that retailers like Where The Winds Blow resell. Comparable in that it shapes and serves the same player community and product ecosystem.
• Etsy: Mass-market handmade and custom marketplace where many small sellers offer custom Mah Jongg tiles, bags, and accessories. Comparable in that it offers an alternative customization channel competing for the same gift and custom-tile buyer.
• Amazon: General marketplace that lists commoditized Mah Jongg sets and accessories from third-party sellers. Comparable as the default low-end price-driven alternative to specialty DTC retailers like Where The Winds Blow.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wherethewindsblow
• Facebookfacebook.com/MahJonggSeller
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/where-the-winds-blow-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Where The Winds Blow