Most students think that attending classes and doing homework is time-consuming and difficult. Try running your own business while going to college, hosting a radio show, and maintaining an “A” average. For Edmund Podbielski, owner of Hair on Broadway, it is everyday life.
Hair on Broadway, located on Whitney Ave., recently opened its doors last May in Hamden. It was voted best hair salon in New Haven by The New Haven Register two years in a row and continues to grow more popular. While the business originated in New Haven, it moved to Hamden due to urban renewal. Podbielski was offered the vacant space next to Tonino’s on Whitney Ave. last year.
Podbielski has cut hair for the Mayor of New Haven, Jennifer Beale, and Julie Harris. With his convenient new location, many students, faculty and employees of Quinnipiac get hair treatments and cuts by Podbielski as well as professionals.
He runs a one-man show styling hair, scheduling appointments, and keeping the business in order. In between appointments, Podbielski catches up on schoolwork. He is a communications major and a marketing minor at Central Connecticut State University. “Being in college allows me to grow,” says Podbielski.
Only 24 credits short of a degree, Podbielski hopes to work in the communications department of a pharmaceuticals company. “I believe that is where the future is in Connecticut,” he says. Further down the road, a masters in communications may follow.
However, he will always style hair. “I love the creative and social aspect of doing hair,” says Podbielski. He has been styling hair since he was 16 and holds the state record for being the youngest person licensed in Connecticut. He has attended 20 seminars in the U.S., Paris and London, including Vidal Sassoon. Podbielski describes Sassoon as “the marine boot camp of hairstyling.”
In Podbielski’s free time he hosts a radio show at Central that features funk music. At one time Podbielski even had his own DJ business where he played at parties and weddings.
One day Podbielski wants to move to Los Angeles. He says, “There is an energy in the air that you notice when you step off the plane.” However, asked what his biggest aspiration was he said, “It’s not the goal, it’s the journey.”