Questions for Stephanie Strowbridge, owner of Moxie Beauty & Hair Parlor in Grand Rapids and REVUE's April Cover Girl.

How long has Moxie been open?

We opened Sept. 1, 2009. We're brand new, and it's been awesome. You're never sure — when you start a new venture in life — what's going to happen, but you have to take that risk.

Moxie's retro theme is very unique. How did you come up with it?

It just came from an interest that I had. I was already doing retro hair, so when it came time to open Moxie, it was natural to me. It's unique, there isn't another retro-inspired salon that I'm aware of in Grand Rapids, so it filled that little niche, but was also just a reflection of what I was already doing.

How did you learn to do retro styling?

I went to David Pressley School of Cosmetology in Royal Oak. At the time, David Pressley, who started the school, was 100 years old and still came in every day to work with the students. He had been doing hair since 1927, so he's the one who actually taught me how to do finger waves, pin curls, and variations of roller sets. It was really him that taught me to do it the proper way. He took my interests and what I was already dabbling in, and showed me how to do it right.

When did your interest in vintage and retro styles start?

I guess the interest started when I was really little, because my parents were antiquers. I was always doing antiquing with them, and my dad was always watching the black and white movies. Our thing was watching Vincent Price movies, and on top of that, he's an auto body repairman — so was my grandpa. They restored vintage cars, and I remember going to the junkyard and looking at the older cars. That's where it started; from my dad, really ... Then as a teenager, I started going to the thrift stores and finding really cool vintage clothes, so it was just a progression up to this point.

What's your favorite decade?

Well, they all have something so fun about them. I think I draw more from the Fifties in my personal style, but I think my favorite is probably the Forties because I find it so much more glamorous — and the attention to detail; not just with the hair, but with the clothing, the jewelry, the makeup, and the etiquette.

Do you have a favorite way you like to wear your hair?

Not really, to be honest. I like to change it a lot, and I think that's the reason why I like retro styling. There's so many fun ways I can wear my hair at any length.

What is your natural hair color?

Sort of a medium blonde to a light brown.

You were recently featured in Savage Tattoo magazine. Congratulations! Do you have a favorite tattoo?

My husband painted a painting for me — this Spidora character with scissors for the front legs. When I saw it, I was so excited, I loved it, and I instantly knew I had to turn it into a tattoo ... I do have one for my son, and that came from a storybook that we read. That one is special as well.

Do you have plans for any more?

There are always plans for more.

What had been the most difficult hairstyle you've encountered?

It sounds so silly, and other hairstylists will probably be calling me, but I get asked a lot to duplicate Veronica Lake's waves. She's such a simple, sleek, classic look, but it's very hard to duplicate ... I'm so used to dealing with curls. I tend to be over intricate, and sometimes I pay way too much attention to detail, so just being simpler is hard for me.

For more on Stephanie and how to do a makeover on a budget, read this month's Cheap Issue.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Lindsay Patton-Carson

Photo by Seth Thompson