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Deborah Slobin, 42, and her mother, Irene Slobin, 60, share a knack for matchmaking, and they are fixing up couples through their business, Irene & Deborah's Old Fashioned Matchmaking Service, which they operate out of their home.
"We are here to help people find their true love, their soul mate," Deborah Slobin said. "People that come to us are very serious about finding that special someone and not doing a lot of serial dating."
Unlike Internet-based dating services - where profiles and photographs can be rife with inaccuracies - the matchmakers get to know their clients as they would a new friend.
"I try and spend as much time with them as possible," Slobin said. "I go hang out with them, have lunch with them, go to the movies and try and find out who they are inside."
Once the Slobins understand their clients' personalities and desires, the matchmakers look for suitable matches within their client base.
They frequent social gatherings such as dances and parties to meet new people, which they love to do, while probing the scene for good matches for their clients.
Whether their matches are governed by careful consideration or a gut feeling, the Slobins decide on three prime candidates from which their clients may choose to date. The clients can arrange dates themselves or allow the matchmakers to do it for them.
If a client wants to set up a date, the matchmakers allow them to talk on the phone for only fi ve minutes.
"It's all about face-to-face chemistry and communication," Deborah Slobin said. "Don't put a long relationship on the phone the first time. You may meet in person and have nothing in common."
After the first date, the matchmakers want to hear all the details.
"We want to know if we are on the right page with you, that we're reading you right," Slobin said.
Suzanne Wangler, 42, of Royal Oak has four children and had not dated much since her divorce, she said. She's a former television reporter, now an independent financial planner. The matchmakers introduced her to Michael Betz, 41, a father of two and a salesman for Ryder Corp. "I was looking for someone to go out and have some fun with," Wangler said. "And I think I found the person I'm supposed to be with. I found my soul mate." Wangler said she and Betz have already talked about spending the rest of their lives together. "It makes me feel so good because I can't believe that this is what we do for a living," Slobin said, shedding a few heartfelt tears. "It's incredible." Neither Deborah nor Irene Slobin are married, although Deborah has been engaged twice and is seeing someone. Irene is divorced and has four children including Deborah, who is the eldest.
Deborah said her mother receives letters with pictures of the children that have resulted from her many matches, which stands at about 400 marriages and 1,000 children so far.
"The first person I ever fixed up was when I was 13; I introduced my sister to my brother in-law," Irene Slobin said. "I have two beautiful nephews as a result of that."
Deborah lived in Florida for 18 years.
She moved back to Michigan a year ago to help her mother rebuild the business after a fi re claimed Irene's home in Brighton and the records and computers of the matchmaking service.
"Believe me, there's a lot of pain we go through," Deborah Slobin said. "But when you get a phone call from someone saying, 'We're engaged' or 'I found my soul mate,' it makes everything you go through - all the pain and hassle - worth it to have been a part of someone's life."
The cost of joining the matchmaking service ranges from $1,000 to $6,000 a year, depending on how much attention clients need and what is affordable to them.
Irene and Deborah did not reveal their 2006 revenue numbers, but Deborah said they make a comfortable living.
"When you come to us, you're making a fi nancial commitment to it," she said. "And you're telling us to find you your future husband or wife."
If a client is not satisfied after a year, the matchmakers refund half the service fee or give another year of service for free. "We're really committed to our clients, and we don't want to hurt anybody," Slobin said. "We just really want to help them find what they're looking for." They have about 200 active clients. "Dating is a full-time job, and (our clients) are already working full time," Slobin said. Irene and Deborah say their matchmaking service is the only one of its nature in Michigan and seven nearby states. They plan on opening a branch in Florida because many of their clients have winter homes there.
For more information
For more information about Irene & Deborah's Old Fashioned Matchmaking Service, call Deborah Slobin at (248) 747-2005 or Irene Slobin at (248) 538-3969.
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