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Still Looking For Love? The Matchmaker Is Making A Comeback

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Another Valentine's Day is coming to a close. If you're one of the millions still trying to find that perfect someone, consider this, the matchmaker is making a comeback.

Eyewitness News was only at the LOVE statue for about three hours Thursday, and in that time, we saw about 36 living photos taken and even two proposals. But for those still looking for love, times may be changing once again. One couple said they met online.

There's no shame in it. Dating apps and websites are so prolific that they've grown to the point of becoming uber-specific.

Politically, there is SocialistPassions.com and LibertarianFriendsDate.com, and who could forget the oddly precise FarmersOnly.com.

But some feel the online dating trend is on its way out.

"I don't know, I feel like the dating websites are more for not dating but for other things," said one man.

"Just meeting in general. People who lie and catfish, that kind of stuff," said woman.

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"We are old-school, talk on the phone. We met through mutual friends," said another woman.

There is a movement brewing to bring back a more traditional method of finding love.

Matchmaking is an $800 million industry and according to Susan Trombetti, CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, it's growing because people are sick of the impersonal nature of apps.

"They are not going to get to you first, much less they are not going to ghost you, breadcrumb you, bench you, they are ready when they come to me," said Trombetti.

Trombetti says her matchmaking provides personal vetting that apps and sites can't. She offered three pieces of love-seeking advice starting with don't lock down on a new relationship too soon.

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"Three months in," said Trombetti, "you have your first fight. That's the first time you will see the real person."

She adds the superficial nature of online dating can be counterproductive.

"I'm going to say another thing too. You don't have a type. Everybody thinks they have a type," said Trombetti.

In her experience, many clients happily stray from the physical type they thought they had and find lasting love.

"A lot of people are dating the wrong person and can't extract themselves," said Trombetti, "so my No. 1 tip, this year for finding love is, kick that loser you're with to the curb."

Of course, that applies to anyone in a relationship that they know they shouldn't be in.

Now, since matchmaking services are so personal, prices start from a basic starter package of a few thousand dollars but climb upward of $100,000 for VIP clients.

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