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The Meet Market
When you’re looking for love, there’s no need to go it alone. Seven ways
to get off the computer, out of the bar scene and into good company:
Single Gourmet, singlegourmetri.com, 888-535-1919
How it works: Not a dating service, Single Gourmet hosts monthly upscale dinner parties for members at fine dining restaurants in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Why join: This group is ideal for the newly single who are shy about mingling and looking to make single friends. “It’s a way to enjoy different restaurants, with a lot of interesting and accomplished people,” says owner Deborah Steen.
Who you’ll meet: Well-educated, pro-fessional singles, mostly in their fifties and sixties, from Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Chances of scoring a date: “Some members have dated, but this is not a dating service,” emphasizes Steen. “Instead, our members will meet friends to go out to singles’ events with.”
Cost: Options include $165 for one year, $275 unlimited, plus cost of events, usually $65 and up. Members also can attend Single Gourmet events in other chapters around the country.
Singles in M’Ocean, simo-ri.org
How it works: This non-profit group brings singles together to volunteer for charity events and local nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity. They also host group social activities.
Why join: You’ll meet new people while doing something positive. “It gets you out of your single cubbyhole and gives you a productive way to use your time,” says president Cynthia Branca.
Who you’ll meet: Community-oriented singles from their thirties into their sixties. “We have a database of over four hundred,” says Branca. Chances of scoring a date: Members have dated and even married, but the focus is on volunteerism. Membership leans more heavily toward women.
Cost: $25 one-time fee.
Singlez Zone, singlezzone.com
How it works: The newly formed group hosts singles dances featuring “relations stations” with services such as Reiki, tarot readings and massage. Attendees can meet beforehand at a pre-dance dinner.
Why join: “The ‘relations stations’ give people a chance to mingle and chat while trying something new,” says Madeleine Costa, a life coach who founded Singlez Zone with her brother, Martin, a DJ.
Who you’ll meet: Singles from Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, ages thirty and up.
Chances of scoring a date: This group is still fairly new,
but initial membership and dance attendance has been strong.
Cost: Dance admission $12. (Cost may vary.) Optional pre-dance buffet is around $10.
Cupid.com PreDating hosted by Everything Events,
everythingeventsco.com, 868-4498
How it works: Members rotate spots at a table to meet up to twelve singles per event for six-minute “dates” at popular spots such as McFadden’s and Temple in Providence.
Why join: Many singles find the speed-dating format low on intimidation, since there’s no commitment to going on a full date or having to approach someone cold turkey. There’s also no worry of finding an uneven number of men and women; events are cancelled if they don’t have the right mix.
Who you’ll meet: Singles are often Providence-area professionals. Events are set up by age range —
24 to 34, for example, or 45 to 60.
Chances of
scoring a date: The chance to practice your conversational and flirting skills makes it worthwhile even if you don’t meet anyone. “Dating is a lot like job networking,” says Everything Events co-owner Jill Lazar. “You never know who may have a friend or relative who’s right for you.”
Cost: Events cost $35 and include one-month access to cupid.com. Drinks may cost extra.
Tri-State Dating, tri-statedatingservice.com, 800-252-6210
How it works: John Holt offers one-on-one matching, small-group
singles’ dinners and speed-dating events.
Why join: The personalized approach means that Holt can give you advice and honest feedback while helping you make new connections. (See “Tough Love,” page 64 for some of his insights.)
Who you’ll meet: Members run the gamut, from blue-collars to professionals, aged twenties
to seventies, throughout the tri-state area.
Chances of scoring a date: Members find anything from activity companions to long-term relationships and marriage.
Membership fees: Packages from $275 to $800. Popular options include eight introductions for $385 (it counts as an introduction after you meet in person) and a combo of five introductions, two dinners and one speed-dating event for $425.
University Society of Providence,
usp-singles.org, 276-3025
How it works: Singles must attend at least four activities before applying for membership, which requires sponsorship from an existing member.
Why join: Events are frequent and hugely varied, ranging from theater nights and dinner parties to informal “drop-in” cocktail gatherings. “There’s always something going on,” says trustee and ten-year member Martha Powell.
Who you’ll meet: Charter rules dictate that at least two-thirds of members have college degrees. Members are largely women, around forty-five and older.
Chances of scoring a date: Some members have dated, but you’ll mostly form new friendships.
Cost: $50 first year, $75 for subsequent years (reduced if
member sponsors at least one event during the year or receives newsletter electronically), plus cost of events, which range in price.
The Right One, therightone.com, 737-7822
How it works: A matchmaker will discuss your dating history and develop a compatibility profile to refer you to potential matches.
Why join: Personalized matchmaking is good for singles who want relationship coaching to help them date more effectively.
Who you’ll meet: Background-checked singles from twenty-somethings to seniors. If you’re open to long-distance love, you can also be referred to members across the country.
Chances of scoring a date: Once a referral is made, you have to go on the date (or forfeit the referral). “We put a lot of work into making our matches,” says Massachusetts-based CEO Paul Falzone. “You’d be amazed at how many marriages have come out of dates where the couple at first didn’t want to meet.”
Cost: Packages range in price, from $2,000 to $5,000, based on the number of referrals a member wishes to purchase.
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