The Woman Behind Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop is Raising Awareness for Period Poverty
I had walked by Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop more than a few times on my way back and forth from Penny Post to Salon deZEN, and was always curious about what was inside. The name kind of intrigued me, too. Did they sell crystals? Was it a hippie shop and did they howl at the moon? So I consider it a stroke of luck when I met the new owner, Emily Coccia at a Chamber ALX event. She happily filled me in and also sold me some really cool socks (inscribed Do Epic Sh*t and Suck it Up Buttercup) that she had on display.
So how did Emily become the owner of Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop, “a menstrual health boutique focusing on all the mental and physical aspects of life's phases - from first period through menopause (and everything in between and beyond)”? She says she was taking a stroll around Old Town with a friend and just walked in. “I did what a lot of people do when they enter this store. I looked around and said ‘What is this? This is awesome!’ I immediately fell in love with it and was so energized by the space that in that moment I knew I had to do something with it. That evening I couldn't sleep, spending my time trying to find the owner online.”
And she did track down the owner, Ann. “I met her for the first time a week later and shared my vision for where the shop should go and flippantly said, “If I ever owned a shop this would be the one I would own.” She didn’t expect Ann’s response: “I’ll sell it to you.” Over the course of many months, Emily learned the business from Ann…the process, the operations and more to make for a smoother transition.
Originally from Michigan, Emily comes from a large Italian family where Sunday dinners mean hosting 40-50 people. She moved to Alexandria in 2005 for a temp job. “I thought I’ll just be here for the summer, and I completely fell in love with the area and stayed. It’s been almost 20 years.”
She says she truly found herself while working in the nonprofit sector. Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey she worked as an operational strategist at WEConnect International, helping women around the world. “I was so energized by all the female entrepreneurs and what I learned. A female entrepreneur in Pakistan or Bangladesh or Latin America is no different than female entrepreneurs here. They’re go-getters, managing a bazillion things at once and doing it well. What I loved about working with them is they all recognized a unique problem and decided to fix it. It takes a lot of bravery to do that.”
Emily says it was the pandemic that gave her the space to reprioritize what she wanted to do next. “I couldn't stay at that pace. I loved working…I was working 24 hours a day. It didn’t matter the time I logged on, because I worked for an international organization and when I logged on someone was always awake in another country…I burnt myself out.”
Mission-driven, her goal has always been “to work myself out of a job. It means you fixed a problem. I would love all the nonprofits to shut their doors because they solved some big world problem.” All these experiences have led to now. “You have to trust the universe to put you where you’re supposed to be. And frankly every time someone walks into the store, that feeling solidifies…and every time I talk to someone in this community it solidifies my decision even more.”
She shares that May is a huge month for menstrual health: Period Poverty Awareness Week (May 20-28) and Global Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28). During May, Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop is accepting donations of bras, underwear and period products, and bringing these items and resources to women’s shelters. All purchases made at Ms. Moxie’s for donation are 20% off.
Culminating their month-long effort is "Flowing Forward" on May 28, a FREE Global Menstrual Health Day Celebration. In collaboration with the Junior League of Northern Virginia and BRAWS, the community is invited to indulge in sips and sweets, engage in enriching activities, and partake in meaningful meet and greets. It's a celebration of progress and solidarity, marking a commitment to menstrual equity. RSVP here.
One of Emily’s passion projects has been to help make period products more accessible. She started an initiative to provide places of business with period products so menstruators feel safe and understood wherever they go in Old Town. When we spoke, she already had five businesses committed to putting these complimentary products in restrooms for their customers; her goal is 50. For each business, Ms. Moxie’s supplies a basket with a variety of period products, making it very turn-key. She hasn’t heard a “no” yet. If you’ve met her, you’d understand why. She’s friendly, open and genuine.
From a business standpoint, it just makes sense. If someone is at your place of business and suddenly gets their period and is without a pad or tampon, they’re going to leave and go home. But if they can go to the restroom and there’s period products, they feel seen, understood and are more likely to return as a patron. It builds brand loyalty.
She says that in Virginia, one in eight girls lives below the poverty line, and we’re only the fifth state to require elementary and high schools to provide period products. Although it is mandated, it is unfunded. Schools are responsible for making it happen and as you would expect, it’s not consistent across schools, no one has mandated a budget towards it, and it can be expensive. That’s where groups like BRAWS lend an extraordinary hand.
In addition to food pantries, she wants Old Town to have period product pantries. “The policy would be if anyone walks in and says, ‘I have my period and I can’t afford the products,’ we can help them.” Virginia does not have a sales tax on period products. “A lot of people did hard work to make that happen,” she adds.
So what does the name Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop mean? “Having moxie is being cheeky, snarky, very strong…it resonated with me. I use that word all the time. Having moxie is how we break a taboo. Just have a conversation about it…menopause, period, perinatal spray postpartum…we can make significant improvements in our own lives and in those of others by opening up the dialogue. Moon shop comes from Charles Darwin and the theory that menstruation was tied to the lunar cycle. But this was before artificial light existed.”
She says female entrepreneurs have to have moxie, and be brave and be blunt. “I’ve never met a female entrepreneur that didn’t have moxie.” Same, and we’re so lucky to have so many as contributors for Alexandria Stylebook.
To find out more, stop by Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop on 102 N Fayette St., or visit MsMoxiesMoonShop.com.
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