Today we’d like to introduce you to Aleisha Gravit
Hi Aleisha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I retired from a long and fulfilling career as a Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer in March of 2023. I immediately found myself with a lot of extra time and realized I quickly needed to find something to do! A friend of mine owns a gifting boutique in Colleyville called The Gift Bar. After a few months of being a customer, I decided to take a part-time sales role and eventually assumed the responsibility for social media. One of the products carried at the store is the Oh My Mahjong line of beautiful mahjong tiles and accessories. That’s where it all began. We hosted a Mahjong 101 class at the store and I just fell in love with the game.
After playing for a few months, I wanted more, so I decided to pursue teaching and went through the Oh My Mahjong teacher program and here we are! Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. In addition to it being a very strategic and beautiful game, there have been numerous neurological studies that show that playing Mahjong for 12 weeks can improve the executive functions in those with mild cognitive impairment. It is also a strong fundraising outlet that is associated with the Alzheimer’s Association. I call it the brain game.
I created Colleyville Mahjong as a way to share my love of the game through group teachings as well as to build a community in Colleyville around the game. We currently play once a week at The Gift Bar Store. I also actively teach at The Gift Bar as well as in private homes in the area. My goal is to continue to build a space where folks can come during the day and/or evening to learn and play the game with others in our community. It’s also a great fundraising event for local schools.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a pretty smooth road thus far. I would say my biggest obstacle is my own time. The Gift Bar has been amazingly supportive and we are both looking for ways to grow the business and the Colleyville Mahjong community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a retired Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer. I spent over 25 years in professional services with global law firms. I retired from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in March of 2023.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Sarah Varney, owner of The Gift Bar deserves a lot of credit because she provided me with the platform and space to create Colleyville Mahjong Club. While the club is not “official” in terms of dues, etc., we like to call our weekly group of players the Colleyville Mahjong club. I also invite new players to join as I teach. Again, it’s about building a community.
I also need to credit Oh My Mahjong for the teacher training and support and Green Dragons Mahjong in Southlake for teaching me how to play the game.
It always takes a village!
Pricing:
- $50 per player for Mahjong 101
- Price includes lesson and 2 rounds of play and Prosecco
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.colleyvillemahjong.com
- Instagram: @colleyvillemahjong
Image Credits
All images were taken by Colleyville Mahjong.
I will note that the last image is me with Sarah Varney, the owner of The Gift Bar.
