A Body of Luxurious Work: Jeena Hunget

A shopping trip in 1998 in search of some new bed sheets ended up planting the seed that allowed Jeena Hunget to create her ideal life.

“I thought, ‘Why buy 500 thread count sheets when I don’t have 500 thread count pajamas?’’ says this 32-year-old mother of two.

She woke up on New Year’s Day in 2005 and decided to work on her third baby, Body Linens, her line of luxurious one hundred percent Egyptian cotton sleepwear.

Armed with a college degree in marketing with an emphasis on retailing and merchandising, as well as experience as an assistant buyer for a major retailer, Hunget was determined to get her dream off the ground.

“These things helped me prepare for the business venture, but I also learned so much along the way,” she says. “It has taken a lot of hard work and perseverance and there were many bumps. Many things took more time and money than I initially thought, but in the end, I know my product is better because of it.’’

She started with research on the Internet to find fabric, which led to a trip to New York, where she met with fabric manufacturers from around the world and discovered the perfect match for her collection. She returned home to Russellville, Missouri, and instantly got to work on designing a line of sleepwear.

With the basics accomplished, Hunget threw her energy into developing a website, bodylinens.com , that would drive sales. “I knew this was the key to our success, and I wanted to make sure it looked professional.’’

Recognizing that she didn’t have the required expertise, Hunget hired a photographer to shoot all of her products and a web developer to design a logo and the site.

“The first day the website was up and running was so exciting,’’ she says of the official launch. “I have my very first order—it was from my sister—prominently displayed in my office I also have my first order from someone I don’t know hanging beside it.”

“I had been thinking and talking about the idea of offering pajamas by thread count for eight years and seeing my dream become a reality has not only been an achievement for myself, but for my entire family,’’ Hunget says.

Products from Body Linens were included in gift baskets at TBS’s 1st Annual Comedy Festival, which drew the attention of Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who sent a thank-you note acknowledging how she loved the sleepwear. The pajamas have also been included in gift guru Lash Fary’s media tour for his new book Fabulous Gifts as an example of just that.

This year Hunget is focused on increasing name recognition, search engine positioning, and product selection. Men’s and women’s robes, boxer shorts for men, matching children’s pajamas, and additional colors and styles for men and women are slated to be introduced this year. She designs every product herself, froma $50 nightie to a $125 classic pajama. Since that innocent day of shopping for sheets triggered an idea, Hunget has found the perfect balance between her business and personal life.

“I am so lucky,’’ she says. “I honestly have the best of both worlds. I own a business that I’m in love with, which also allows me to be at home.’’ Can’t argue with that.