Text by Cathy Gordon • Photography courtesy of Leontine Linens

While shopping for her wedding trousseau in New Orleans in the summer of 1995, Jane Scott Hodges was surprised to find that the historic city was lacking a source of beautiful, heritage-inspired, monogrammed linens.
“Here I was, living in this city steeped in tradition and history, and I couldn’t find them anywhere,” says the founder of Leontine Linens. “When people get married, they love to create a new monogram. I sensed an untapped market.”
Fate intervened. When she returned to her native Kentucky to plan the wedding, she discovered the Hardinsburg-based Eleanor Beard Studio, an all-female contingent of talented artisans whose exquisite handwork transforms quilts, sheets, towels, and other household items into timeless family heirlooms.
Smitten with their work, Jane Scott put in her trousseau order and then stitched together a plan. “I asked if they could make some goods for me to sell in New Orleans,” she recalls. “It was the beginnings of a great relationship.”
Jane Scott’s vision and the talent of Eleanor Beard’s seamstresses turned out to be the best match since needle and thread.

Jane Scott returned to New Orleans and Named her venture Leontine Linens, after the street she lived on with her husband, Philip. The business grew, serving decorators with the private labels she handled, including those from Eleanor Beard. Her family grew too. First came daughter, Talley, now 10, then son, Nalty, 7.
What started as a small business run from a spare bedroom has grown into a company with sales teams in half a dozen cities. Consultants work directly with clients in their homes, providing personalized service.
Today, Leontine Linens has a flagship store in New Orleans, a store in Atlanta, and a boutique in New York’s Bergdorf Goodman, where they are the exclusive linen provider.
Philip, formerly in the restaurant franchise business, came on board in late 2000. “I’m the front person, so I get to do the fun stuff—marketing and selling,” Jane Scott says. “Philip handles the business books, the goal setting, and projecting.”
One projection neither could have made was the impact of acquiring Eleanor Beard Studio. They bought the company in 2002 after learning that it was going to close. “We acquired it just to continue the product line, not really comprehending the rich history involved,” Jane Scott explains. “A lot of employees have had aunts, grandmothers, and mothers who also worked there.”

Jane Scott has a unique bond with the Eleanor Beard artisans. “I’m glad we’ve played a role in bringing their work to a wider audience. We’re proud to help perpetuate what they do. They accomplish a great deal every day without needing my advice. And when we evacuated during Hurricane Katrina, they took care of us.”
Not long after Leontine Linens opened its New Orleans flagship store in July 2005, the storm hit. “Like dust, we were spread all over the place.” Jane Scott went home to family in Kentucky, enrolling her children in school there. “It was a time of huge drama and trauma, but the people at Eleanor Beard helped us all through it, finding housing and just taking everyone into their arms.”
Philip stayed behind a few weeks, organizing files and making sure the business was on track. “Luckily, we had backed up our computer,” she notes. “Had we not, there wouldn’t be a business today.”
At that time, Jane Scott and Philip decided to permanently move the entire business to Kentucky. “On a personal level, it got me home,” Jane Scott notes. “On a business level, it brought us closer to our most important asset, Eleanor Beard Studio. As much as we love New Orleans, it was a good decision for us.”
Jane Scott looks forward to many more years of making clients’ monogrammed, appliquéd dreams come true. “Our ongoing theme is creating heirloom pieces that will be passed down,” she says. “We’re thrilled to offer beautiful things that generations of people can live with and enjoy. It’s how memories are made.”