View This Issue - Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce
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A Few Minutes<br />
with<br />
Manu<br />
Samtani<br />
OWNER OF MAHARAJA’S FINE JEWELRY<br />
SINCE 1977<br />
Interview by Marta Rose<br />
Mulchand (Manu) Samtani<br />
moved to <strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong> <strong>Beach</strong><br />
from Jamaica 35 years ago.<br />
Born in Sri Lanka, Manu grew up in India<br />
and received his Business Associate<br />
degree in Bombay. He later moved to<br />
Jamaica, where he lived for three years<br />
and had his first exposure to the jewelry<br />
business. “Jamaica was witnessing<br />
some bad times in 1977, and I decided<br />
to look for some new grounds to<br />
settle in,” he remembers. He came to the<br />
States and decided to go check out New<br />
Orleans. Upon passing through <strong>Panama</strong><br />
<strong>City</strong> <strong>Beach</strong>, he decided to stop over for<br />
a night. The beaches here reminded him<br />
<strong>of</strong> the islands, and he decided to look<br />
further into this area.<br />
Manu moved to <strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong> <strong>Beach</strong><br />
and opened his first store in the Bahama<br />
<strong>Beach</strong> Shopping Center on Front <strong>Beach</strong><br />
Road. The one thousand square foot<br />
space, called Maharaja <strong>of</strong> India (Maharaja<br />
is the Hindi word meaning “great king”)<br />
carried ethnic clothing reflecting his<br />
Indian heritage, turquoise jewelry and<br />
Mexican silver. From there Manu started<br />
upgrading his store. He began <strong>of</strong>fering<br />
designer clothing in 1982, carrying top<br />
brands in women’s wear and swimsuits,<br />
and added 14 and 18 carat jewelry into the<br />
mix. In 1984, he added another building,<br />
increasing his store to 3,000 square feet.<br />
In 1992, he opened his second store in the<br />
Wal-Mart Plaza in <strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong>. At that<br />
point he focused on turning the business<br />
into a boutique, carrying only designer<br />
clothing, fine jewelry and giftware.<br />
“We started carrying designer clothing<br />
and boutique-style jewelry and gifts,”<br />
he explains. “Waterford…diamonds…<br />
colored stones.”<br />
In 1995, his beach store was hit by<br />
Hurricane Opal and had to be closed. The<br />
shopping center was sold and the new<br />
landlord did not want to renew the lease.<br />
In 1999, he had the opportunity to move<br />
into Coronado Village in <strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong>; that<br />
store became known as Maharaja’s Fine<br />
Jewelry and Gifts, carrying a powerful<br />
brand <strong>of</strong> jewelry including David Yurman,<br />
Marco Bicego, John Hardy, Hearts on Fire<br />
and many more.<br />
Manu himself does a little <strong>of</strong> everything.<br />
He is the jewelry buyer and the shop<br />
coordinator; he manages the staff and the<br />
entire business. “We like to cut ourselves<br />
above the rest and be different,” he<br />
alleges. “At Maharaja’s there is a gift<br />
for everyone, ranging from Brighton<br />
and Swarovski Crystal to the world’s<br />
most perfectly cut diamonds, rare pieces<br />
<strong>of</strong> gems and the most current designer<br />
jewelry.”<br />
Manu married Rita, who he met in Bombay<br />
and brought to the States in 1984. Both<br />
<strong>of</strong> his children were born in <strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong>;<br />
his daughter Radha, 25, graduated from<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Florida and is studying to<br />
be a nurse practitioner. His son, Mohit,<br />
22, studies logistics and transportation at<br />
Jacksonville University and helps out at<br />
Maharaja’s when he’s not in school.<br />
“<strong>Panama</strong> <strong>City</strong> is a lovely place to meet all<br />
kinds <strong>of</strong> people, from all walks <strong>of</strong> life,”<br />
says Manu. “I am a very simple, everyday<br />
person,” he maintains. “I like to help<br />
people. I have been a part <strong>of</strong> everything<br />
that goes on, including most fundraisers<br />
and charity events. <strong>This</strong> county has given<br />
me a lot to be thankful for, and I love to<br />
give back to our community.”<br />
v v v<br />
62 THE CIRCUIT September/October 2012