Buckhead is not only home to the woman who re-invented the girdle (Sara Blakley of SPANX), it is also the home of the mother-daughter duo re-inventing boxer-briefs! In November of 2015, Jackie and Hollis Hart teamed up and launched Private Holdings, the first company to comfortably merge men’s boxers and briefs.
The idea was born a year and a half ago when Jackie’s husband, Ron, decided to give up on boxers and began showcasing his briefs around their Buckhead home, so Jackie decided something had to be done. She sewed a pair of briefs into a pair of boxers and gave them to Ron, who loved and wore them constantly. Jackie then thoroughly searched the Internet for a garment similar to what she had made, but apart from tight, spandex-like boxer briefs, a true boxer brief wasn’t on the market.
“I looked at a lot of underwear on the internet, so much so that I thought my computer was going to blow up or child services was going to come after me,” Jackie said. “Then I realized [real boxer briefs] didn’t exist!”
Solving what seemed to them a very obvious problem, the Harts decided to merge boxers and briefs, trademarking “Private Holdings.” The team consists of Jackie, former nurse of fifteen years at Piedmont Hospital, partnered with her youngest daughter, Hollis, a University of Georgia alum who studied finance and currently works at Morgan Stanley.
“I personally never would have done [Private Holdings] without her,” Jackie said.
Even though Private Holdings has been in business less than a year, they already have 65 stores in 16 states carrying their products. Jackie and Hollis’ enthusiasm for the product and their success propelled them to try out for ABC’s hit show, “Shark Tank.” After waiting for five hours in line, the Harts spoke with a series of producers to pitch their merged boxer briefs.
“I was so nervous. I could have just as easily passed out on the floor!” Jackie said. “But we did great.”
Private Holdings made it through the second round of “Shark Tank” and the Harts are optimistic about the future. Even if they don’t persuade the Sharks this year, Jackie and Hollis plan on trying again once the business has time to grow and gain bigger sales numbers.
Besides auditioning for “Shark Tank,” another perk of starting Private Holdings has been helping men not only find the perfect underwear, but providing a comfortable solution for prostate cancer. The merger of boxer and briefs gives men an easier recovery and some products are even sold in hospital gift shops! Prostate cancer awareness is just one gift Jackie and Hollis are giving the Buckhead community.
When we asked their favorite thing about living in Buckhead, Hollis replied:
“Having a brand that compliments our community. Buckhead has really benefited us in a big way.”
What’s next for this innovative family product? Jackie and Hollis have already expanded their team to include a sales consultant, marketing manager and designer, Carolyn Candler, who is creating more classic designs in the coming months. Along with the popular boxer brief product, the Harts plan to add a night shirt for women with a built-in bra so that women can answer the door without scandalizing the person on the receiving end, along with providing support.
“Every day [with Private Holdings] I learn something new, which is good,” Jackie said. “When you get in your 50’s, sometimes you feel like you don’t learn new things all the time, so that part’s been really good. Hard, but fun.”
Jackie no longer sews the boxers herself, but instead has a manufacturing rep based out of South Carolina who works with factories around the world. Below is a list of Buckhead stores where you can find Private Holdings products:
- London Trading Company
- Onward Reserve (at both Early Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue locations)
- Woo Skincare & Cosmetics (at both Peachtree Road and Northside Pkwy locations)
- Huff Harrington
- 310 Rosemont
Photography: Garrett Nudd
