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FULCRUM GROUP
NEW SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS COMPANY AIMS TO MAKE ENTERTAINING EASIER THAN EVER
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (JULY 1, 2020)—Entertaining made easy for all. Introducing the Fulcrum Group, a new events concept designed to elevate, simplify, and streamline events both in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationwide. Home to Abbey Party Rents, Table + Teaspoon, One True Love Vintage, and a collection of exclusive wedding venues, now all under one roof, the Fulcrum Group’s business model was designed as an elevated one-stop-shop for all things events. Named for the word fulcrum, defined as a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation, the intuitive collection of brands aims to provide consumers access to everything they could ever need — from venues and tenting to table settings — whether they’re hosting an intimate gathering at home or a grand celebration.
Fulcrum Group is led by Liz Curtis, who brings along her three-year-old ‘Rent the Runway for tablescapes’ company, Table + Teaspoon. This merger enables Table + Teaspoon to move from proof of concept to a high growth stage while benefiting the entire brand portfolio with Liz’s vision and long-term strategy. As the newly minted CEO of Fulcrum Group, Liz will be focused on driving creative direction, overseeing senior management for sales, marketing, and operations, and serving as the spokesperson for the company. Liz joins Fulcrum Group’s Chairman, Michael Seramin, who took ownership of Abbey Party Rents in 2012 and One True Love Vintage in 2016.
“As with most things, including the Table + Teaspoon story, serendipity was at play with this merger. I connected with Michael Seramin in November of 2019 as a potential advisor while I was raising a venture round for Table + Teaspoon. We stayed in touch over the months that followed and in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, we put our heads together to spearhead a mechanism to rebuild the industry we’re both so passionate about.” – Liz Curtis, CEO of Fulcrum Group
With 73 years of rich history in the events space, Abbey Party Rents leads the portfolio of brands in size. Acquired by Michael Seramin’s family in 1990 from a private equity fund, Michael jumped at the chance to purchase the company from his father when he announced his plans to retire. Abbey Party Rents is a respected player in the Northern California large-scale event rental scene, offering everything from fine China to custom tenting. Since taking over the helm, Michael has grown Abbey by over 200% and employs a best in class staff, including Director of Sales Kathy Newby, who is a Certified Event Rental Specialist with over twenty-five years of experience in the industry.
Identifying the need for a more bespoke offering than Abbey’s traditional inventory, Michael acquired the second addition to the Fulcrum Group portfolio, One True Love Vintage. The vintage rental brand provides highly curated and one-of-a-kind furniture, accessories, and objet d’art for events and weddings in Northern California.
During one of their conversations in the early stages of the pandemic, Liz and Michael reflected on the staggering new reality of the events sector. As one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, they knew that individually they could weather the storm, but collectively, they could prosper. By joining forces under the Fulcrum Group, they gain the unique position to foster their presence as a multi-faceted events conglomerate.
“Events are in my blood, so when the industry took a hit from the pandemic, I felt it deeply. It’s one thing for a company to land on its feet, but quite another to innovate, take risk, and show agility – and I’m proud we’re finding ways to come out of this tragedy stronger. Everyone in the events industry is struggling right now, and no one is out of the woods yet. With Liz Curtis coming on as CEO, coupled with the strength of our complete collection of brands, we are creating opportunities where they have been diminished. We’re out to fundamentally change the events space, starting with our new direct to consumer nationwide offering.” – Michael Seramin, Chairman of Fulcrum Group
Recognized as the pioneer of the nationwide entertaining on-demand category, Table + Teaspoon is gearing up to launch six new designs for Fall. Venturing beyond the home by offering large quantity orders for weddings and corporate events (which, historically, were only by special request), Liz is eager to partner with event planners and caterers to build the presence of the easy and sophisticated table setting kits in the industry. True to Liz’s ambitious nature, she is diligently working with her talented team to find new ways to disrupt the industry, driving even greater nationwide expansion of the vision to make entertaining easy for all.
The last brand under the Fulcrum Group, their exclusive collection of event venues, was born out of necessity and innovation. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that most weddings in 2020 have been rescheduled for 2021. In addition, engagements are up nearly 30% since the shelter-in-place began, with many of these couples opting to wait and tie the knot until they can have a larger wedding. Adding to the level of disappointment, couples who already secured their venues for 2020 have been unable to rebook a 2021 date due to lack of availability or surge pricing. Seeing this as an opportunity, Michael and Liz went to work. The two identified properties that would be ideal for gorgeous weddings and secured them for the portfolio. The new real estate arm of the Fulcrum Group, launching this fall, will offer venues in a variety of iconic California settings that will be available for weddings and events next year.
Each of the Fulcrum Group’s portfolio brands are headquartered collectively in a 56,000 square foot facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM. For more information, please visit Fulcrum Group online https://www.fulcrumgroup.events
Press Contact:
Fulcrum Group