Tammany Family: Half Moon Gift Shop

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Half Moon Gift Shop

Shopping at the Half Moon Gift Shop on Lee Lane in Covington was one of the most pleasant experiences for local residents and out-of-town visitors alike.

The gift shop was situated at the original location of the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper at the northwest corner of the Boston Street/Lee Lane intersection.

Following the Farmer office, there was a Citgo (or Sinclair) service station located there for a while. Its high roof peak building is still there, but has been modified heavily since those times.

Click on the images to make them larger and more readable.

The location was home to the Half Moon Gift Shop for a good while. Harriet Larsen ran it in the 1970's, then Penny Doster took over. I used to stop by and visit Harriet every so often, not only to talk about Lee Lane and Covington in general, but she offered free popcorn, fresh popped.

The gift shop had every imaginable gift one could be looking for, nice gift wrapping, and even more.

Many Covington area residents considered it their favorite gift shop because they knew they could find the something special that they were looking for.Everything from glass sculpture to candles to unique hard to find items. One Facebook visitor even said that she would call Harriet, tell her she needed a gift to give someone, and by the time she got to the shop, it would be wrapped up and ready to go.

A profile of Harriet Larsen from 1972

Lyn Hill Taylor explained over on Facebook that her mother, Harriet Larsen, bought the Half Moon from Donie Middleton and a partner. "The little shop helped keep her busy and in touch with the community after my young father’s fatal heart attack. She and her many friends made it a 'to visit' destination. She eventually sold the Half Moon to Penny Doster. Good memories in that little place."