OBSERVER – Feb 10 – For the past six year, Carly Spindel has worked alongside her mother Janis, one of the city’s most successful matchmakers. Her clients pay tens of thousands of dollars for her services and are typically 40+. When meeting her clients, she always wear a wedding ring although she is not married. “Matchmakers are making it all about the client,” said Lisa Clampitt, the founder of the New York-based Matchmaking Institute. “They listen, they compliment, pay attention—that is kind of what flirtation is. The person feels very understood, so they’re going to get a crush.” A divorced matchmaker in Washington, said she would wear her wedding ring in client meetings to fend off grabby guys. One day, though, she forgot it—the only day, in fact—and met the man who would become her husband. It seems that many matchmakers go into the business to meet romantic partners. The male clients are catches, too. They are successful and quite wealthy and are looking to settle down. “You’re not really supposed to date your own clients, but it happens all the time,” said Julie Ferman, a LA-based relationship expert. She estimated that 30 – 40% of married matchmakers have found their spouses through their own services.
by Matthew Kassel
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