Q&A . . . By Richard Phillips – Photography, David Brandt
Roseann Higgins
When the athletic, 6-foot tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed Roseann Higgins enters a room, her presence is immediately felt. Unlike when a twister is heading toward a barn, your instinct is not to go underground.
Instead, you willingly surrender to Higgins’ energetic whirlwind as she sweeps you up in all her effervescence. However, beneath this bubbly Hello Dolly veneer lies the strategic ability of General Norman Schwarzkopf and the purpose and heart of Mother Theresa. Roseann Higgins is a super-motivated, world-class matchmaker.
If someone approaches you at a party and asks if you are single, available and hetero, chances are it is Higgins. Like a panther poised to attack, she has her sights set on you as a potential partner for someone. But not just anyone. Her cientele at S.P.I.E.S. (Single Professional Introductions for the Especially Selective) is solely made up of referrals, counting on success stories from her clients to spread the word.
And speaking of success stories: in the four years since Higgins founded S.P.I.E.S., nine couples she matched have gotten married, and a tenth is in the planning phase. Like most matchmakers, Higgins has the usual lists of criteria from her clients. Women are seeking athletic, active, ambitious, sometimes wealtjy men (sounds like JFK Jr.), while men are seeking attractive, intelligent, emotionally stable women who can pay their own bills (guys, why not throw supermodel beauty in there too?). We, however, were more interested in Higgins’ own mating habits when we sat down for a chat with the ex-Navy-gone-matchmaker extraordinaire.
CITY AZ: “WHAT WAS THE BEST DATE YOU’VE EVER BEEN ON?”
RH: (In shock) “Me?”
CITY AZ: “That’s right, you!”
RH: “That was a long time ago. Hmmm. Well, a good one was when a guy that I knew, but wasn’t dating at the time, picked me up to go meet some friends and he was better looking than I remembered, taller than I remembered, he had charisma that I wasn’t aware of, dressed sharp, in shape and I was like ‘Oooh, I wasn’t prepared for this.’ We ended up doing a movie, a walk afterwards, which eventually led to dipping our toes in the pool at the Biltmore ‘till 3 a.m.”
CITY AZ: “How come the matchmaker isn’t married?”
RH: “I can’t take all the good ones.”
CITY AZ: “I don’t buy it. You could keep one for yourself, like a butcher keeps the best steak…”
RH: “Well, I dated one guy for two years that I met on the job so to speak, but no marriage.”
CITY AZ: “If you’re not finding somebody, then how can anyone else ezpect to?”
RH: “I’m the old romantic, I want to bump into somebody at the grocery store and fall in love. I believe this is a guy out there that I will be totally in love with. It has to be somebody that you have such a mental and physical connection with, that you could start a fire.”
CITY AZ: “Do you believe in sex on the first date?”
RH: “No!”
CITY AZ: “C’mon, you’re giving me a firm ‘No’?”
RH: “No.”
CITY AZ: “A firm no, it’s never going to happen?”
RH: “Well – never is a long time… If you were really, really, really awesome, you never know.”
CITY AZ: “Does no mean no on a date?”
RH: “No means 99 percent no, but if I meet a guy and totally fall in love and have a weak moment – maybe.”
CITY AZ: “Who’s your perfect guy?”
RH: “I want a combination of qualities. I need someone who’s not jealous, who’s supportive and lets me do my thing.”
CITY AZ: “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
RH: “I do, but I haven’t experienced it.”
CITY AZ: “Are there any lemons out there in the world of matchmaking?”
RH: “No, just differently marketable.”
CITY AZ: “How comforting.”
Styling, Hair & Make-up by Mary Reid
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