Stephanie Spear 
Tucked away just off King Street in Old Town Alexandria is a shop entirely dedicated to menstrual and pelvic health. Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop at 102 N. Fayette Street carries period products, pelvic health resources, books, gifts, and items for pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and more. But the shop is about more than retail: it also hosts workshops and creates a space where customers can ask questions and talk openly about topics that are often treated as taboo. Owner Emily Coccia took over Ms. Moxie’s in January 2024 after first discovering the store as a customer. She recently spoke with The Fairfax Girl about the shop, its mission, and why conversations around menstrual health are such an important part of the business. Read on for more about Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop in Alexandria.
About Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop
Longtime Alexandria resident Emily Coccia first walked into Ms. Moxie’s in July 2023 while transitioning away from a career in international development. She immediately connected with the concept. “The next day I had a meeting with the owner. I told her that if I were to own a store, this would be it,” Emily said.
Over the next several months, Emily worked alongside the previous owner to learn the business before officially taking over in January 2024. Ms. Moxie’s is part boutique and part educational resource, with products and programming designed to support people through different stages of menstrual and pelvic health.
There is no singular “Ms. Moxie.” Instead, Emily works with a group of advisors who help vet products and contribute to workshops. “We also run workshops and have access to a lot of resources, like current practitioners and people who can better support menstrual health in general, because of their specialties,” Emily said.
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Workshop topics range from pelvic floor physical therapy to biodegradable period products, while the shop itself carries a mix of practical and playful items. During our visit, we spotted organic cotton period products, books geared toward different stages of life, heating pads, soaps, deodorants, journals, and cheeky cards. There is also a section geared toward first periods, along with products for pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause.
Breaking Down the Stigma Around Periods
Education is a major part of the shop’s mission, and Emily said some of her favorite moments happen when a casual visit turns into a larger conversation about menstrual or pelvic health. “I think that when non-menstruators come in the shop, it’s our opportunity to help educate them on what people in their life are probably going through,” she said. Customers often begin by browsing products before opening up about their own experiences.
“95% of the time it turns into a conversation, not just about the shop, but people really start to open up when they’re given the opportunity to talk about things like their perimenopause symptoms or issues they’ve had in the past, or even we hear a lot of first period stories from adults,” Emily said.
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The shop is intentional about making those conversations accessible to everyone, including men. “Oh, I love when men come in,” Emily said. “The only way we’re ever going to break the taboo around these topics is if everybody is talking about it. Everybody’s engaging with it.”
One of the more memorable features inside the shop is a period pain simulator, which some male customers have tried. Emily said the experience often becomes a starting point for a larger conversation about what menstruating people experience. Some men have also become repeat customers, returning for pain-relief products and other items for their partners.
Workshops + Events at Ms. Moxie’s
The shop’s workshops are another way Emily hopes to make menstrual health easier to talk about and understand. Programming covers a range of topics related to periods, pelvic health, and different life stages, and some workshops are specifically designed to help non-menstruators better support the people in their lives.
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One example is Pizza, Pints, + Periods: A Dad’s Guide to Talking About Menstruation, a workshop created to help fathers feel more comfortable discussing periods and supporting their children. Ms. Moxie’s also hosts other educational events and gatherings centered around menstrual and pelvic health.
Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop is located at 102 N. Fayette Street in Old Town Alexandria, just a short walk from King Street. Visitors can stop in to browse products, ask questions, learn about upcoming workshops, or simply have a conversation about topics that are not always easy to discuss.
More information about the shop, its products, and upcoming programming can be found on the Ms. Moxie’s Moon Shop website.
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