View This Issue - Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce

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