ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607080026
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: RACHEL BECK ASSOCIATED PRESS
What Martha Stewart is to home furnishings, Elysa Lazar may one day be to discount shopping.
This New Yorker doesn't have the same notoriety as the queen of 1990s living, but Lazar reigns in her own enclave as the nation's goddess of bargain-hunting.
From television appearances - Oprah, Regis & Kathie Lee, CNBC - to her books and newsletters, Lazar spreads the word about where to find the best bets on everything from china sets to contact lenses to evening gowns.
``I consider myself a smart shopper more than anything else,'' Lazar said. ``I love nice things and there are ways of having nice things in your life without spending every single dime that you have.''
It's been 10 years since Lazar gave up paying retail and founded what is today Lazar Media Group Inc., publisher of her books and newsletters on bargains.
As a young working woman, she was frustrated by outrageous retail prices and stunned by the unbelievable discounts found at designer showroom sales. Such events, usually unpublicized, contain items - clothes, linens, jewelry, etc. - that are overstocked, slightly damaged or from a sample lot.
Armed with a few years in corporate America and a degree from Columbia Business School, she saw a market niche for a publication dedicated to tracking sample sales. In December 1986, The S&B Report - for sales and bargains - was born, listing 15 sales in New York.
``I left my job - my friends and family thought I was crazy - and started a business out of my apartment, funded by me,'' said Lazar, a sharp women who looks far younger than her 41 years. ``Then it started catching on, and I started hearing from people who really appreciated what we were doing.''
One of the first to notice was ``Live with Regis & Kathie Lee'' executive producer Michael Gelman, who invited Lazar to do a spot on the show about sample sales in New York. Business has been great since.
``The garment center is a skeptical industry and it took a long time to build up that trust,'' Lazar said. ``We've done that and now they're calling us.''
The S&B Report is now published monthly, with 12,000 subscribers paying $49 a year to get the inside scoop on sample and other sales in the New York area. She also puts out a weekly listing of exclusive sales, which 3,000 subscribers pay $104 a year to get in addition to receiving the main report.
Lazar has authored three books on the art of deal-finding: ``Outlet Shopper's Guide,'' ``Shop By Mail'' and ``Museum Shop Treasures.'' Both the outlet and mail order guide have been updated in the last year.
But her publications aren't what's really getting her noticed - it's her television gigs.
Oprah called on her to craft a $600 spring wardrobe from national discount chains. She showed Regis & Kathie Lee viewers how to order discounted kids clothes by mail. And through her regular stint on CNBC's ``Steals and Deals'' cable show, she's revealed how to find bargains on everything from pots and pans to wedding dresses.
``Why spend more money than you have to? That's my motto,'' she said. ``If you take the time to look for deals, then you can have some really nice things without watching where every dollar is going and coming from.''
In between everything else, Lazar also leads seminars for corporations and adult education groups on topics like dressing for success and how to put together an affordable wardrobe.
While business is booming - at a recent Donna Karan sample sale some women were spotted with The S&B Report in tow - there have been some glitches.
Last year, Lazar trimmed her staff of seven and now only has one person working with her. She also computerized everything, eliminating almost all paperwork, and moved the business out of an office and into her midtown Manhattan apartment.
``I found that the more our volume was growing, my bottom line was shrinking,'' she said. ``So I decided to take 20 steps backwards. It's amazing how much more you learn about the business when you get back into it again.''
Now she's focusing on what's ahead - a national newsletter, a radio show and a newspaper column are considerations for the future.
As for shopping, there isn't too much time for that given her hectic schedule, and most weekends are spent away from New York at her home in Charleston, S.C., with her boyfriend and his children.
But this bargain-hunting guru doesn't complain much about her 14-hour work days. How can she - the business' sales are just under the $1 million mark and her customer base just keeps growing.
There is, however, one thing.
``I never thought I would be THE expert on sales and bargains,'' she said with a chuckle. ``One day, I'd like to be the Martha Stewart of shoppers, but I'm not anywhere close to that yet.''
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Elysa Lazar, publisher and chief editor of Lazarby CNBMedia Group, works out of a msall office inside her midtown New York
apartment. color.