WEST LEBANON – Several stores in the two shopping plazas hit hardest by Tropical Storm Irene are reopening before Thanksgiving, giving the Upper Valley’s main retail strip a boost as the biggest shopping season of the year fast approaches.

“We are so thrilled they got us up before the holiday season,” said Lisa Steele, the manager of The Paper Store, which reopened yesterday. “With Black Friday coming up, this is going to be a good chance for us to get into the swing of things.”

Several other retail outlets in the Upper Valley Plaza, where some stores saw more than 5 feet of flooding from the Connecticut River during the Aug. 28 storm, are also about to open. Two major retailers, however, will not be open in time for the holidays, said a city official: JCPenney and Kmart.

Game Stop was expected to open Thursday, CVS on Friday, Olympia Sports on Nov. 9, and Kohl’s on Nov. 20, according to store officials and a temporary electronic message board placed in the plaza.

At Game Stop yesterday, several employees stocked video games on the shelves to prepare for the reopening.

“We’ve been working for three days putting everything back together,” said Game Stop manager Sharon Bridge, who noted that the store has its eight employees back at work and may hire 12 more for the holiday season.

She said the store is reopening in time to prepare for a midnight on Monday event when “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” expected to be one of the biggest video game releases ever, goes on sale.

“We’re excited to be back up in time to do that,” Bridge said.

CVS had erected a temporary trailer to handle prescriptions, but the store itself will reopen tomorrow, according to store manager Mike Redman.

“I feel great. The whole process, the support from the city and CVS has been kind of overwhelming,” he said.

CVS had more than 41?2 feet of water and suffered a total loss of fixtures, equipment and inventory.

Many of the store’s 20 employees were able to keep working at the CVS in Hanover to retain their full hours and benefits, and all of them are coming back to West Lebanon, Redman said.

That includes Linda Giguere, the manager of the CVS beauty department, who has a loyal following of customers whom she helps with skin-care products and other cosmetics. “It’s exciting. I’m so happy to be back,” said Giguere, who was prepping shelves yesterday.

Another store clerk, Yvonne LaBombard, who has run the card department for 28 years, was happy to be back at her task as well. “I love the holidays. I can’t wait to get the doors open and the people in here,” she said.

West Lebanon resident Joanne LaCasse was browsing through cards and other items at The Paper Store, where she is a regular customer.

“I was so excited when I saw the (reopening) sign,” she said. “This is my favorite store … the people here are like a family. With me, they greet me by name every time I come in.”

Springfield, Vt., resident Adam Saris was looking for Sears, which has been temporarily relocated near the airport in West Lebanon, and said he hopes other stores open too.

“I’m a Halo fanatic,” he said, referring to another video game about to release a new version, “so I need Game Stop to be open.”

Just across Interstate 89 at the Kmart Plaza, Supercuts reopened last Friday with new salon fixtures and countertops.

“It’s very refreshing to be back,” said store manager Alison Roentsch. “We’ve been really busy. Customers have been flocking back here.”

Workers were also bustling at TJMaxx, which had 3 feet of water damage and is expected to reopen Nov. 10.

Store officials referred a reporter to company headquarters in Massachusetts, where a message left for a TJMaxx spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

Tracey Mezzanotte, the asset manager for Dead River Co., the Maine-based firm that manages and owns the Kmart Plaza, said some other stores will reopen soon, including Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store, which is expanding into two adjacent stores that had been vacant before the flooding.

“I think they are shooting for the Monday of Thanksgiving week,” Mezzanotte said. “Everyone is pushing forward to get open as soon as possible. I think they are all very anxious to be open.”

Carmella Hennessy, the codes enforcement director and zoning administrator for the city of Lebanon, said city fire and building inspectors have “worked extensively” with store owners to expedite permits and speed up the reopening of damaged stores.

“I’m really pleased that so many stores are going to be able to open before Thanksgiving. That’s what most of them were pushing for,” Hennessy said.

However, two major retailers have yet to undertake any reconstruction work and won’t open in time for Christmas.

JCPenney in the Upper Valley Plaza and Kmart obtained permits for cleanup work and have removed damaged merchandise and equipment but have yet to apply to the city for permits to undertake interior renovations, although the two stores have been in contact with city officials.

“It’s not like they have walked away (from the stores). They have a different time frame,” Hennessy said.

A message left at JCPenney headquarters was not immediately returned.

Kmart quickly established a trailer to handle its prescription business at the Kmart Plaza, and Mezzanotte, the asset manager for the developer, said the store is “moving forward” to replace the flooring and other interior features.

“They are not going to be open for Christmas, (but) they are planning on reopening,” she said.

Based on early estimates from owners of the shopping centers, Hennessy said the Upper Valley Plaza suffered $5.4 million in damage, the Kmart Plaza $2.5 million, and the Staples Plaza $150,000 in damage, not including inventory.

Redman, the CVS store manager, said he is pleased that several other stores within his plaza will be opening.

“When you’re in a plaza, you want the other stores to be open,” he said.

That may be especially good news for retail outlets that weren’t affected by the flooding and remained open, such as the Shaw’s store and a cellular phone shop in the Upper Valley Plaza and the Kleen drycleaners and Chili’s restaurant in the Kmart Plaza.

John P. Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com or (603) 727-3213.