Singles are looking for love regardless of COVID restrictions.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Pexels

A Kamloops woman has been helping singles find love matches for five years.

Tara Holmes saw a demand for singles wanting some help in their search for love after writing a dating column, so she opened a matchmaking business and devotes her life to it.

“I do personalized matchmaking which is the complete opposite of using online dating apps,” Holmes said.

The onset of the pandemic had Holmes concerned the new rules would harm her business since there were fewer ways for people to engage and social events were cancelled. To her surprise, she saw the business explode with new singles and even better outcomes than before. She credits creativity to the success.

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“People were forced to be creative and they had to meet outside,” she said. “They would take their dogs for a walk and go bike riding or snowshoeing. It was less awkward in this way and it was a good way for them to see if they were a good fit.”

Holmes suggested activities like gardening together or volunteering for the snow angels. She said the pandemic gave new couples a chance to see each other during a crisis.

“One humorous couple told me things were getting serious, they were isolated to the same golf cart," she said. "The divorce rate was skyrocketing, it was a real test for couples and made a lot of them stronger.”

Tara Holmes is the owner of Holmes is Where the Heart is Matchmaking Ltd in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Tara Holmes

Holmes said most of her clients have reached out for her services after getting fed up with online dating, preferring to get out more despite the challenging COVID rules. She meets everyone in person and offers a discrete service so higher profile singles can participate too.

“With online dating, the picture doesn’t look like the person or the person isn’t who they say they are,” she said. “Also, people are associating with more than one prospective partner at the same time. People tell me it is a rollercoaster and they are sick of the lies.”

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Holmes meets with every client and matches people based on their characters and the things they have in common. She suggests couples go on three dates to see if there is chemistry.

“You can’t really judge by that first date, if there is nothing alarming happening, do another date,” Holmes said. “Sometimes people are really nervous or they haven’t dated for a long time or maybe they are widowed and it is emotional for them.”

She encourages singles to have an open mind and open heart, and she doesn’t believe that anyone has a ‘type’.

“Different partners in life don’t often look the same and I can prove that over and over,” she said. “Some people need to step outside what they think are deal breakers, like tattoos for example.”

Holmes never suggests singles go looking for relationships if they are happy and fulfilled on their own. She has met many inspiring older singles who enjoy living life independently.

“There are more single women than men because women outlive men and it is just a fact,” she said. “I think that is why you see a lot of women who are enjoying amazingly independent, fulfilling lives.”

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To date, 789 people have reached out to Holmes for the service with 53 couples currently in long-term relationships, which is between six months and five years. They are of all ages. There have been three weddings, four engagements and one baby so far.

“Some of my clients are as young as 25 and as old as 92, but that is not a set I would put together,” she said.

Holmes is Where the Heart is Matchmaking Ltd.cards at the Save On Foods grocery store in Sahali at the single banana section.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Tara Holmes

You can see Holmes’ sign and pick up her business card for Holmes is Where the Heart is Matchmaking Ltd. at the Save On Foods grocery store in Sahali at the single banana section. 

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