Roberta Raffel, known to most people as Bobbi, is an American businesswoman who built a career in fashion long before she became known as Marcus Lemonis’ wife. She was born on September 21, 1953, in the United States. Her background includes work as a sales manager, ownership of a boutique called Runway, and later the fashion brand Shopmarc. 

She met Lemonis in 2016 at a trade show and married him in 2018. Today she holds a stake in Camping World and works alongside her husband across several business ventures. This profile covers her family, her career, her marriage, and her current life.

Who Is Roberta Raffel?

Roberta Raffel is a businesswoman and entrepreneur from the United States. Most people know her as Bobbi. Her name became widely searched after she married Marcus Lemonis, a well known entrepreneur and television personality. But her career in the fashion world started years before that marriage. 

She built her own business, made her own decisions, and earned her place in the industry on her own terms. Many articles about her focus only on her marriage. Fewer explain that she ran her own company, managed real client relationships, and made hiring and buying decisions long before Lemonis entered her life. That earlier career is what shaped the businesswoman she is today.

Early Life and Family Background

Birth, Parents, and Siblings

Roberta Raffel was born on September 21, 1953, in the United States. Her parents were Kenneth Fenchel and Millicent Fenchel. Kenneth Fenchel served as a World War II veteran before spending three decades working in Chicago’s lamp industry. 

That steady, hands on career shaped the work ethic Roberta later carried into her own business. She grew up in a close knit family alongside her younger siblings, Stephen and Mickey, also known in some records as Stephen Fenchel and Mickey Fenchel Sima. 

As the oldest child, she often took on responsibility early, which gave her practice managing people and situations before she ever had a job title.

Education and Ethnicity

Roberta Raffel’s formal education has never been made public in any detail. What is known is that she is of Caucasian ethnicity, and her religious background has not been shared publicly either. This is one part of her story that stays private, and no verified school, college, or degree has surfaced in any record connected to her.

Childhood Influences and Early Interest in Fashion

Roberta showed an interest in fashion from a young age, but it went beyond clothes. She was curious about how stores were arranged, how displays were built, and what made people want to buy something. That curiosity about style, paired with an early sense of customer service and market trends, gave her a head start once she entered the working world. 

Her leadership habits at home, built from watching over younger siblings, translated directly into the management skills she used later in her career.

Early Career in Fashion

Roberta Raffel’s first steps into the industry came through a role as a sales manager, working at a company called Runway. In that job, she handled fashion logistics, oversaw runway shows, and coordinated closely with modeling agencies.

This kind of work meant learning how to manage designers, models, and other industry professionals under tight deadlines. She built real skills in forecasting, budgeting, and negotiating contracts and partnerships, which most fashion workers never touch this early in a career. 

Her sharp read on market trends and consumer preferences, combined with strong client relations, made her stand out in fashion merchandising. That foundation in sales management and fashion logistics is what let her eventually branch out into her own brand.

Building Shopmarc and Other Business Ventures

After years of hands on experience, Roberta Raffel launched her own boutique, Runway Boutique, before expanding her work under the name Shopmarc. Shopmarc grew into a luxury brand offering high end clothing, accessories, and home decor, along with personal styling services aimed at an affluent clientele. 

What separated her business from competitors was attention to customer experience, not just product selection. She focused on building a clear brand identity in a competitive market, using marketing efforts that targeted a specific, style focused audience.

 Alongside Shopmarc, she also built out designer labels and retail stores, giving her a footprint that went beyond one single boutique. That entrepreneurial spirit and steady business sense laid the groundwork for the next chapter of her career.

How Roberta Raffel Met Marcus Lemonis

In 2016, Roberta Raffel attended COTERIE, a major women’s fashion trade show held in New York City. She approached Marcus Lemonis directly with a business proposition, hoping he would buy her fashion business. Lemonis, already known as an investor and television personality, was struck by her confidence. Their conversation did not end with a signed business deal for her original company, but it did start a professional relationship that grew from there.

Roberta Raffel and Marcus Lemonis’ Relationship and Marriage

Dating and Proposal

What began as a business meeting slowly turned into a romantic connection between Roberta and Marcus. There is roughly a 20 year age difference between them, something that came up in coverage but never seemed to affect their relationship. During the holiday season of 2017, Lemonis proposed to Raffel by hiding an engagement ring inside a Secret Santa gift at a Christmas gathering. She said yes, and their engagement quickly became public.

Wedding Details

Roberta Raffel and Marcus Lemonis originally planned to marry at their home in Montecito, California. Wildfires and mudslides in the area forced them to change plans just weeks before the ceremony. They ended up marrying on February 17, 2018, at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. 

The wedding carried a gold, ivory, and silver theme, and the couple included both a priest and a cantor in the ceremony to reflect their different backgrounds. Marcus wore custom Gucci suits for the event, and the couple’s first dance was set to “Looking for You” from the show Empire. A separate celebration afterward carried a playful lemon theme, a nod to the Lemonis name.

Roberta Raffel’s Role in Marcus Lemonis’ Business Empire

After marrying Lemonis, Roberta Raffel stayed active in business rather than stepping back. She holds a stake in Camping World, an investment reported at around $1.3 million, giving her a real financial interest in one of Lemonis’ biggest companies. 

She is also connected to ML Fashion Group and works alongside Marcus on Shopmarc, sometimes referred to as MARCUS, a store that blends fashion, jewelry, and home items. Beyond the business side, she worked as a design coordinator on the show The Renovator, contributing creative input rather than staying purely behind a desk. Her role reflects a mix of financial investment and hands on involvement, not just a symbolic title tied to marriage.

Roberta Raffel’s Children and Family Life

Before marrying Lemonis, Roberta Raffel was previously married to a man named Lee Raffel. Together they had two children, a son and a daughter, both of whom are now grown adults. Roberta is also a grandmother, and she shares moments with her grandchildren through birthday tributes and family photos. Marcus Lemonis has built a relationship with her children as well, making the blended family part of daily life rather than just a background detail.

Roberta Raffel’s Net Worth

Roberta Raffel’s net worth is most often reported at around $50 million, a figure tied to her fashion career along with her investment decisions after marrying Lemonis. That includes her $1.3 million stake in Camping World, along with her financial independence built through Shopmarc and ML Fashion Group. 

Marcus Lemonis, by comparison, has a reported net worth near $500 million. The gap between those two figures shows how much of Roberta’s financial standing came from her own work, not simply from marriage.

Philanthropy and Charitable Work

In 2021, Roberta Raffel and Marcus Lemonis co-founded the Lemon-AID Foundation, contributing a combined $50 million toward supporting small business owners, with a focus on women and minorities. The couple also donated $15 million to Marquette University to fund a student success center offering coaching, tutoring, and career support. 

Their charitable work extends to Erase Child Trafficking, an organization tied to the Emergency Response Division, along with God’s Love We Deliver, which supports people managing serious illness. Roberta has also been recognized with a Humanitarian Award from the American Red Cross for her contributions to disaster relief and community rebuilding efforts.

Business Philosophy and Public Recognition

Roberta Raffel’s approach to business centers on customer satisfaction and quality over volume. She leans on market research to stay ahead of shifting trends rather than reacting after the fact. Her strategy favors exclusivity and strategic partnerships instead of chasing every available deal. 

This hands on approach has earned her recognition within fashion industry circles, where her innovative approach to building brands has been noted by peers and colleagues who have worked alongside her.

Roberta Raffel’s Public Life and Social Media

Roberta Raffel is active on Instagram, where she posts under the handle @bobbilemonis. Her page mixes business updates, travel photos, and tributes to her late parents. She uses the platform to highlight small brands and share style ideas rather than focusing purely on personal content. 

In 2023, she and Marcus appeared together on Celebrity Family Feud, winning $25,000 for charity, a moment that showed their partnership extends beyond business into shared public appearances.

Roberta Raffel’s Life Today

As of 2025, Roberta Raffel splits her time between homes in Chicago, New York, and California. She stays involved in business decisions while also making room for family time and quiet moments away from work. 

Charity events remain part of her schedule, alongside continued involvement in the businesses she helped build. Her daily life now blends travel, family, and business in a way that reflects decades of work rather than a life defined only by marriage.

Conclusion

Roberta Raffel’s story includes a career in fashion built before she ever met Marcus Lemonis, a marriage that brought two established business lives together, and a continued role in ventures like Camping World and Shopmarc. 

Her path from sales manager to boutique owner to co-investor shows a pattern of steady, independent decision making. The Lemon-AID Foundation and her other charitable work point to a life that extends past business into community support. She remains active in both her marriage and her career heading into 2026.

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FAQs

How old is Roberta Raffel and when is her birthday? 

Roberta Raffel was born on September 21, 1953, which makes her 72 years old as of 2025.

What is Roberta Raffel’s net worth? 

Roberta Raffel’s net worth is estimated at around $50 million, built through her fashion business and smart investment decisions.

Does Roberta Raffel have children? 

Yes, Roberta Raffel has two children, a son and a daughter, and she is also a grandmother.

How did Roberta Raffel meet Marcus Lemonis? 

She met him in 2016 at the COTERIE fashion trade show, where she approached him with a business deal to buy her company.

When did Roberta Raffel get married? 

Roberta Raffel married Marcus Lemonis on February 17, 2018, at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

What is the age difference between Roberta Raffel and Marcus Lemonis? 

There is roughly a 20-year age gap between them, though it has not affected their marriage.

Is Roberta Raffel on social media? 

Yes, Roberta Raffel is active on Instagram under the handle @bobbilemonis, where she shares life updates.

What does Roberta Raffel do today? 

She stays active in business through ML Fashion Group and Camping World while balancing family life and charity work.