Top of the Games: Lorraine Spektor on the Rise of Elevate Customs

Albert Einstein famously asserted that creativity was “seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” Lorraine Spektor, the second-generation American-Ukrainian builder and artist behind Elevate Customshas built a successful business around embodying that truism to its fullest. Now a leading company in luxury gaming, Spektor and Elevate Customs has become one of the prominent names to know in the global realm of intricately designed gaming pieces of every sort to be found under one roof.

Elevate Customs began with the introduction of just one pool table model, the Trinity, which was drawn, as many of Elevate’s goods are still from the designs of Spektor’s mother. Now featuring 17 core models that can all be viewed and purchased online, the company has centered its entire ethos around designs that derive wholly from the desires of the person in the market. This open-minded and open-ended perspective originated in Spektor as a businesswoman through her frequent inability to find exactly what she was looking for during an early tenure working in interior design.

“We were never lucky enough to find exactly what we wanted,” Spektor shares, “and we decided to fulfill this niche and make it our goal to be the sole provider for these custom gaming pieces. We are a custom-built brand where every client’s imagination can be applied, and their piece made exactly what they want it to be.”

Elevate Customs is up for any creative challenge that a prospective client can dream up with the ability to do eye-catching rounding on corners, metal accenting, and paint matching to Pantone and other color schemes. Aiming always to create pieces that will age with class, remain stylish beyond trends, and become modern artifacts, Spektor and her team are likewise committed to new levels of functionality when it comes to gaming tables. This is one reason why many of the Elevate Custom pieces have conversion tops that allow owners to use the same space for shuffleboard as they might wish to for catering later that day.

This bespoke approach to individual serviceability extends to the front end of an Elevate Customs design. Spektor has her architects assess potential spaces and advise clients on spatial needs for comfortable play. She and her team can then construct a gaming table that does not just suit the unique style wishes of the buyer but is tailored to the actual physical space in which the table will be utilized.

Being this hands-on regarding product placement is another of Elevate Customs’ unique characteristics that set the company apart from competitors in their field. Offering a generous lead time of between 12-16 weeks to turn around customized orders, Elevate Customs prioritizes process over promptness when necessary, and Spektor does not hesitate to give customers a realistic view of turnaround time. “Something made out of metal would take a bit longer,” she explains, “because it has to go through a whole rolling and welding fabrication process,” whereas carved wood pieces might offer shorter timelines.

Beyond creating and managing client relations for Elevate Customs, Spektor is a mother to three and enjoys a busy domestic household atop her frenetic business endeavors. She cites keeping a family-like connection with her clients as one of the defining factors of Elevate’s continued appeal and growth. “The relationship piece is vital,” says Spektor, “because our pieces represent a significant investment, and we want clients to feel that they can converse freely with us about plans, ideas, and problems with no hassle.” Keeping communication with clients two-way and fertile, along with utilizing insights from professional players of each game to ensure that all Elevate’s tables and boards abide by regulation standards, means that the client experience is not just high-end but 360-degree.

Viewing her products as much more than mere ‘toys’ for decadent design, Spektor believes that the purpose behind the product is the key component: to bring the family together, to unite friends in laughter and fun. “Of course, we want to make any space both beautiful and functional, and we want clients to feel like they got the statement piece they were seeking, but our ultimate goal is always the memories that come with it,” she beams. For Elevate Customs, it is clear that comprehending the emotional aspects of a purchase not only places this company at the top of its game within the hand-crafted gaming table market but also fulfills that two-way street satisfying the dream of a client while simultaneously realizing the innermost wish of the designer. This is an elevated exchange, indeed.

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