Orienta's 2,000-square-metre megastore in Ta' Qali was officially inaugurated by Kate Gonzi, the Prime Minister's wife, on Friday evening, over five months after it opened its doors discreetly to a contented, loyal clientele.
Mariella Scerri, director of Five Seasons Co Ltd which operates Orienta's four stores, admitted that the occasion was an excuse to throw a lavish party for another reason - the banker-turned-TV-personality-turned-furniture-and-gifts importer and turnkey operator has been in business for exactly 20 years.
Scerri set her sights on the Ta' Qali building five years ago: as Orienta grew, more warehousing space was desperately needed and the 7,000 square metres available on one wing of the site were ideal. At the time, Orienta operated stores in L-Iklin, Fgura, Gozo and Swatar. The latter was closed earlier this year. With the Ta' Qali store up and running, Orienta was able to theme its satellites to focus on fabrics and furnishings, and rustic interiors. The Gozo store is a fusion of all three.
The ample shopfloor at Ta' Qali allowed for the installation of a second level to showcase a wider collection of kitchens from Italy and Spain.
Bedrooms, living rooms and dining furniture besides a wide range of loose furniture, lighting and gifts pack the ground floor.
The warehouse means Orienta is more efficient in delivery times as considerable quantities of stock are held to meet individual customer orders and the requirements of turnkey design projects.
Orienta, the concept inspired by Scerri's fondness of the Far East, encompasses a vast collection of furnishings in various styles from the continent. Ornate furniture is imported from Malaysia, veneers are sourced from China, lacquered woods are shipped from Vietnam.
Orienta's roots stem from a trip to Hong Kong with friends when Scerri was 22.
"I have always been fascinated by jewellery. In Hong Kong, I discovered freshwater pearls sold for much less than they did here, so I spent my Lm150 spending money on several strings and brought them to Malta," Scerri recalls. "I am enamoured with the entire continent to this day. The pace of life is slower - they truly enjoy life there."
Her other passions - furniture and painting - were fuelled by the sights and colours of the Far East. With an importation ban in force, Ms Scerri began a mini furniture manufacturing concern at home with the help of her father, and as the operation grew, Scerri took on a few part-timers. Her eight-year experience at Lombard Bank was soon over.
Scerri eyed a retail outlet in L-Iklin but had to take on both floors of the property to be able to put the Orienta sign above the door.
"I couldn't afford it so I turned to my late father," Scerri explained. "He decided to remortgage his house and said to me: 'Remember you have two sisters and this is my only asset'. The shop opened on November 11, 1989. I repaid him in two years."
Scerri, one of the first women associates of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, later extended the L-Iklin store and looked to open others as the customer base and the demand grew. She still does all the buying personally.
"I know what Orienta customers want," she said. "First and foremost, I look for quality. Rubberwood, for instance, is very similar to mahogany - it is a beautiful, oily wood. My choices are style-based and price-driven. I travel widely, which I enjoy, and visit many fairs. I have also come to know this market very well. Believe me, it is no mean feat to still be around in this business after 20 years."
Scerri admitted she still drew on her banking background to run her business but also applied the lessons she learnt from her father's experience and the emotional education she received from both parents to her daily decisions.
Her 30-strong Orienta team features several women, including one of her sisters and a couple of close friends, and Scerri said she gladly granted them the flexibility working mothers needed.
A separate five-strong team belonged to her small but fledgling property development and turnkey operation. Scerri ventured into property restoration 10 years ago and devotes much time to a revamping a collection of old homes, particularly farmhouses, besides supplying soft furnishings to various projects. Scerri has even dipped her toes into the rental market.
"I feel a little like a conductor sometimes, checking where best to assign people and making sure the teams are flexible," Scerri said. "But there is a sense of us all being in this together and it is very satisfying."
Scerri has been on local TV screens for five years longer than she has been in business and still makes the weekly appearance "as long as someone else is producing". The megastore even houses a temporary TV studio on the second floor until a state-of-the-art set-up is completed in another part of the building.
Her small screen popularity might have injected a little extra success into the business but, she insisted, marketing and sales were a skill not everyone possessed.
Glamorous and warm, Scerri cares little for posterity. She is satisfied with her business the way it is now, and hopes to spare more time to pursue a degree and, she jokes, go fishing. A horrific accident four years ago which broke her spine in four places and cracked her ribs changed her outlook on life.
"I am very lucky," she said. "I count my blessings every day and I am thankful for my family."