Matchmaking in the modern era

Here at KALW News, we’ve been tracking the recession through our Economic Edge Project. This story comes from a community correspondent with our Street Team. Mitzi Mock spoke with a woman who’s made a business finding love for others.

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MARGARITA KIRNOS: My name is Margarita Kirnos. I’m the founder of Fuzion Dating, that’s “fusion” with a “z.” In tough times like a recession, companionship becomes very important. People need each other and they need someone to lean on and get support from. And that’s probably why these dating services have seen growth.

I’ve definitely done a lot of research on dating in the Bay Area, and there’s a lot of smart and single professionals that are out here. And I think they’re finding it really hard to meet each other. People work a lot.

I remember my own experiences of online dating. I remember being frustrated that I had to pay a monthly fee each month. And I thought to myself, “Why would these dating sites introduce me to a great person that I could have a serious relationship with, when all they want is for me to keep coming back, month after month, and keep coming back, month after month, and paying them this fee?”

It was a friend who introduced me to this great guy, who now is my husband. And I can say, we were on totally different paths in life and I don’t think we ever would have met if this friend had not put us in touch.

Now my days are spent meeting with Fuzion Dating members to understand what they’re looking for in a significant other. And most people give me a physical description, and because I’m the one talking to them, I’m often being compared to what they want. So I really hear a lot of comments like, “Oh, I need someone taller than you, thinner than you, longer hair, shorter hair.” I can’t take any of this personally. The information I’m getting is really valuable for me to understand what type of person someone’s attracted to.