DENHAM SPRINGS - Three months after the historic August flooding, stores in the Juban Crossing shopping center are opening for the second time.

"The irony in that is amazing," Belk store manager Joshua Ballay said. "We actually just opened this store 26 months ago, almost to the exact day."

Juban Crossing took at much as four feet of water during the August flood. For the last three months, contractors have been working to get things back in place. According to Ballay, work to get his store ready took only 13 weeks rather than the average time of 6-8 months.

More than a dozen stores will be open Friday. A few others will be open in December, just before Christmas.

"Knowing that you can do your Christmas shopping, it just means so much, you don't have to drive to Baton Rouge. That's tremendous," Layton Ricks, Livingston Parish president, said.

Denham Springs officials say that it will also help drive the recoverying city's budget. Since the flood, Denham Springs has operated on a slim budget, but now the city is inching closer to normal operation.

"The sales tax is 60 percent of our revenue that we operate off of," Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry, said. "Normalcy is what we are all looking for, and it's going to be a long time before we are normal." 

The following stores will be open on Black Friday:

Walk On's Bistreaux & Bar

Verizon

Ross Dress for Less

Pot & Paddle Jambalaya Kitchen

LA Nail Spa

Mattress Firm

Shoe Carnival

Kirkland's

Lane Bryant

Men's Wearhouse

Moe's Southwest Grill

Cato

Dressbarn

Maurices

Michaels

TJ Maxx

Belk

Academy Sports + Outdoor (Grand re-opening is Friday at 5 a.m.)