Some people like the challenge. For others, itβs a way to unwind after a hectic day. Whatever the reason, jigsaw puzzles have a lot of fans. Puzzle lovers are found across the country and around the world, and metro Atlanta has its share.

Daiga Dunis of Decatur said the puzzles allow her to disconnect and focus on relaxing. βItβs a visual thing and Iβm a visual person. I like the shapes and the colors in the picture. Itβs kind of like meditating.β
And itβs exciting when things start to fit. βWe get a bit of an endorphin surge when the pieces link together,β she added.
Good for the brain
Medical experts confirm those positive results.
βPutting a jigsaw puzzle together has many health benefits and can help reduce stress and improve memory,β Jill Riley, senior clinical operations associate in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, wrote in a 2020 blog entry.
βPuzzles are also good for the brain. Studies have shown that doing jigsaw puzzles can improve cognition and visual-spatial reasoning. The act of putting the pieces of a puzzle together requires concentration and improves short-term memory and problem solving. Using the puzzle as an exercise of the mind can spark imagination and increase both your creativity and productivity.β

Dunis, 72, said that she has particularly enjoyed working on puzzles during the pandemic, and sheβs not alone.
Many Flavors
Dunis says every puzzle company has a different vibe for its products. βNew York Puzzle Company is a bit squirrelly,β she said. βNormally, when you work an edge, itβs pretty standard and a good safe bet. Not with theirsβ¦something could change with it.β
Dunis prefers puzzles with clear patterns and colors. βI did one that was a picture of a peacock with an open tail. So many of the colors were exactly the same, it was very challenging,β she said. βI almost didnβt finish it, but I soldiered on and got it done.β
Puzzle manufacturersβ websites demonstrate each brandβs unique spin. Most of the sites allow you to shop by number of pieces, difficulty and specific themes, such as βflowersβ or βsports,β which allows puzzlers to choose designs theyβre willing to stare at for hours as they assemble the images on card tables or dining room tables or any other available surface.
Dunis builds her puzzles on a special table made of Masonite. The board has a smooth, flat, hard surface with skinny trays that slide out like drawers on the side. It allows her to move the puzzle around while sheβs still working on it.
βI sort the edge pieces first, then use the trays to sort the other pieces by shape or color,β she said. If she wants to use the dining room table for something else, she βshove the drawers back in, pick it up and carry it elsewhere.β
Once she finishes a puzzle, βI stare at it for a while, snap a photo with my cellphone, then crunch it up,β Dunis said. βI take the puzzles Iβve done whenever Iβm going to see people who might enjoy doing them. Just like books, I pass them on.β
Making it your own
Jigsaw puzzles can also be personal treasures and unique gifts. Eloise Ragsdale of Decatur has done a lot of photography over the years and found a great way to share it with others.
βWeβve been going for about 40 years to south Florida, Sanibel Island,β Ragsdale said. There, Ragsdale and her daughter, Emily Grasso, collect seashells. βIn fact, weβre going to become Shell Ambassadors there.β Shell Ambassadors are specially trained volunteers who answer beach visitorsβ questions about the shells they find.
Ragsdale said that after about a week, they gather their shells and arrange them on the sand to be photographed. Then, she chooses a photo, edits it on Photoshop and sends it off to be made into a puzzle that she gives as holiday gifts to some friends.
βYouβd think theyβd be easy enough to do,β Ragsdale said. βI mean, theyβre not all like blue sky. The shells look different.β But she admitted that she didnβt finish hers.
She said that one of her friends received a 1,000-piece puzzle, and βhe put it together so fast, I sent him a second one.β
Puzzle places
Jigsaw puzzles turn up all over the place. Stop by the gift shop of your favorite Atlanta attraction, such as the Atlanta History Center, and youβre sure to find a selection of jigsaw puzzles alongside the books and magnets for sale. The Atlanta Botanical Gardenβs gift shop stocks everything from puzzles for children with 20 pieces to 1000-piece puzzles for adults.
Book Nook, a used book shop in Decatur, usually offers second-hand puzzles for sale. The shop takes in puzzles in trade for store credit that can be used to buy movies, music, comics or, of course, other puzzles.
Jigsaw puzzle swaps are another option. Organizers plan get-togethers and participants gather to trade puzzles theyβve finished and packed up.
An online group, JigsawPuzzleSwapExchange.com, has members in North America, Australia and Europe. It claims to be the βlargest international group of puzzle enthusiasts who actively trade puzzles with each other, worldwide.β Swap meets are for members only, and membership is $60 a year. According to the site, Sandy Springs Library is one of the swap meet-up spots.
In fact, some local libraries allow patrons to check out jigsaw puzzles. Atlanta-Fulton Countyβs Milton Library is among many that lend puzzles as well as books.

The Peachtree City Library in Peachtree City has a long row of shelves filled with puzzles of different shapes, sizes and difficulty levels. Librarian assistant Diane Starkey said that thereβs a good mix, from 10-piece puzzles for children to 1,000 + pieces for adults.
βWe lend out quite a lot of puzzles every day,β she said. βSome people come in and check out a whole stack!β