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For all of its not-so-subtle allusions to the 1984 movie "Ghostbusters," Tucson-based Dent-Busters Inc. has become synonymous with a different screen icon altogether.

To some locals, the auto repair business is simply "the Marilyn place" — so named because of the sheer amount of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia that decorates its two Midtown area shops.

Though she's become a visual staple, the choice of Monroe as décor wasn't intentional, said Jennifer Duffield, co-owner of Dent-Busters with husband, Barry Callahan.

Early in the company's nearly 15-year history, a customer — having noted a picture of Marilyn Monroe in the office — later dropped off some more prints. To this day, donations in the form of posters, framed photos and even a doll, keep coming.

The '50s screen bombshell isn't the only woman, nor the only blonde, exerting her influence over Dent-Busters' daily operations.

The fair-haired Duffield oversees the flagship location at 2502 E. Fort Lowell Road, which specializes in the kind of work that is Dent-Busters' bread-and-butter — paintless dent repair. The process involves massaging the car's dents in finite detail from the inside out — essentially reshaping the outline and eliminating even the slightest dent.

Denise Arellano, the business' chief operating officer, manages Dent-Busters' more conventional paint and body repair site at 2002 N. Stone Ave.

The company also operates a small shop in Phoenix.

From Fords to the rare Maserati, the women have seen a broad spectrum of cars come through their doors.

"We get to drive a lot of really nice cars," joked Arellano.

It's been almost 20 years since the two met after a mutual friend introduced Arellano to Duffield as a potential employee. At the time Duffield and Callahan owned Coyote Classics, which restored vintage-cars.

Arellano later moved to Salt Lake City, living there briefly before returning to Tucson in 1995 as a University of Arizona law student and new mother.

By that time, Callahan and Duffield had already opened Dent-Busters — transitioning from classic restoration to auto repair. The decision had come from Callahan, who noticed a trend away from vintage cars toward maintenance of newer models.

They quickly rehired Arellano.

"I'm a single mother, and working at Dent-Busters gave me the flexibility to be with my daughter," Arellano said. "It's a great company to work for."

Likely agreeing with her is one of the company's newest employees, receptionist Natalie Parker.

"Jenny invests so much time in each and every one of her customers, and she and Denise impress me every day with their hard work and accessibility," she wrote in an e-mail to the Star.

Like a few of their employees, Parker was referred by a friend — in this case, Duffield's daughter, Bonnie.

The practice of hiring from referrals of friends and fellow employees may be why the company has taken on more of a family feeling, Arellano said.

Additionally, it has relatively low turnover rates. Of the roughly 19 employees, many have been at Dent-Busters for at least three years.

Duffield, who once dreamed of being a fashion designer on New York's Fifth Avenue, has grown accustomed to her husband's entrepreneurial pursuits — joining him first at Coyote Classics and now at Dent-Busters.

Running a business, she said, is not unlike raising a child.

"You won't make a dime till your fifth year," she said. "At five, it (the child) becomes more independent. You still can't leave it alone, but you don't have to spoon-feed it."