When Robby Ballin moved back to Jackson County in 2020, it felt like an opportunity to give back to the place that raised him. He had been making his living doing hair, and what better place to continue his career than his home?
“This is my hometown,” he said. “I grew up here. I felt like I wanted to make my community feel pretty. I want to make them feel good about themselves.”
When he arrived back in town, he went to work at Eddie’s, a longtime barber shop and salon on Wells St. in Edna. Eddie’s has been a fixture in Edna since the mid-1950s, and has changed owners surprisingly few times throughout its lifetime. Recently, though, it changed hands one more time - from longtime owner Lucinda Rodriguez to Robby himself.
“After 24 years in ownership of Eddie’s and 33 years behind the chair, I have decided to step away from ownership and let someone new take the reins,” Rodriguez said on Facebook on March 3, adding that she’ll still be working with clients.
Unlike many who take over a business, Robby isn’t planning big changes. He knows what’s been working for seven decades, and doesn’t see a reason to make a bunch of huge, sweeping changes. He said he will maintain and upgrade the building as needed, but otherwise it’s just going to be Eddie’s.
“It’s going to be the Eddie’s everyone has come to know and love,” he said.
While he is nervous, Ballin said that he is grateful for the way the community has reacted to the news.
“There’s just an outpouring of support,” he said.”
Excited as he is, he’s nervous about being a business owner. It’s a different skill set than beautifying people.
It’s nerve-wracking,” he said, “but it’s exciting.”
Eddie’s is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to noon.
