Katherine and Mary Tabbytite, of Luxe Objects in Nichols Hills, are the epitome of elegance in interior design. Katherine, a Comanche Nation tribal member and Opera Singer, was visiting her mother, Mary, when they began discussing options for starting a business together. At the time Katherine was in route to New York to pursue a career in Opera, but began having so much fun starting a business with her mother she decided to make Oklahoma City her home.

Luxe Objects is a unique boutique that features interior design, home decor, furniture, and miscellaneous luxury items. In August of 2009 Luxe Objects was born in a booth at an antique shop in Oklahoma City, by 2010 the Tabbytites upgraded to larger booth, and eventually opened their storefront at 6464 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills, OK 73116. “The store is a natural extension of our passion and love for interacting with people” says Katherine about their store.

“In order to better reach our customers,” Katherine said, “we decided to create an online presence, www.LuxeObjects.com, to provide convenient access to our design pieces.” Whether you choose to shop in person or online, Katherine and Mary’s primary focus is to provide distinctive items that can be displayed with pride in the homes of their customers.

Although both Katherine and Mary possess an exquisite eye for unusual beauty, they have distinctively different roles in the business operation. Mary is the primary buyer and is constantly on the road choosing items to match their signature style. Katherine serves as the Store Director and manages the day-to-day responsibilities of their business. The Tabbytites also employ two tribal members, one from the Choctaw Nation and one from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

“The Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation (CPCDC) was instrumental in creating our website, by providing the capital to expand our business venture” Katherine explained. The CPCDC’s primary focus is to help Native American’s create or retain jobs by providing access to funding. In short, the CPCDC lends money to Native American owned small businesses.

Currently, the CPCDC is enjoying a close relationship with the ComancheNation, and is actively pursuing partnerships with the other 37 tribes in Oklahoma who would like to bring our services to their Members.  “The Comanche Nation is one of the few Native American tribes to utilize community development partnerships to their fullest,” said Shane Jett, Executive Director of the CPCDC.  Wallace Coffey, Chairman of the Comanche Nation, decided to partner with the CPCDC after much deliberation to better serve the people of his Nation and to help spread economic prosperity in Indian Country.

The CPCDC is one of the largest Native American Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) in the country. The CPCDC lends money to Native American owned business in Oklahoma regardless of tribe affiliation. “Our vision is to create economic prosperity in Oklahoma through commercial lending in Indian country,” says CPCDC Executive Director, Shane Jett.

If you are a Native American, married to a Native American, or have a Native American partner and would like to start or expand your business, visit the CPCDC website at www.cpcdc.org or call 405-878-4697 for a free information packet!