Kmart is closing its Durham store and laying off 79 people, the company has notified state officials. The store, which operated for nearly three decades at 4215 University Drive, is slated to close Jan. 20.

Liquidation sales will get underway this weekend.

"These decisions are never easy, because Kmart appreciates being a member of the community," said Kmart spokesman Chris Brathwaite. "However, we made a business decision to not renew the lease at this location based on its performance."

The majority of employees are part-time and will have an opportunity to apply for openings at area Sears and Kmart stores, Brathwaite said.

Both retailers are owned by Sears Holdings Corp., which operates 46 Kmarts and 4 Sears stores in North Carolina.

In the final hours of this weekend's tax holiday, the Crabtree Valley Mall Sears store is hosting a special after-hours sale on Lands' End merchandise.

Refreshments, a wine tasting and giveaways are scheduled during the event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5.

Sears is offering a Father's Day deal that gives you the chance to buy dad a generous gift while snagging a gift card for yourself.

Here's how:

Four Sears stores in North Carolina are closing as part of the company's move to shut down more than 100 stores nationwide. None of the stores are in the Triangle.

On Monday, Sears Holdings announced it would close 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores across the country after holiday sales were weaker than the company expected.

On Thursday, it listed 79 of the stores it plans to close and said more announcements will be made "as they come available."

The four Sears that will close in the state are in Statesville, High Point, Rocky Mount and Morehead City. No Kmarts were on the list.

The company did not say how many employees would be affected, but a typical store employs between 40 and 80.

The City of Durham will be hosting a paper-shredding, e-waste and Christmas tree recycling event on Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Sears parking lot at Northgate Mall.

Nearly all electronics with a cord will be accepted for recycling, including:

Check your newspapers this morning for a Sears sales circular.

On the front is a coupon for $5 off a $5 purchase, an extraordinarily rare and generous coupon.

If you didn't like the looks of the deals on the first two days of the tax-free weekend, you've got one last chance.

If you've got the stamina to keep shopping, today's sales circulars and coupon inserts offer up new deal potential.

As I mentioned in my post on the new school supplies deals, there are some rare coupons in today's inserts, giving us extra savings on items such as Avery and Five Star binders, Scotch brand products and Five Star notebooks.

Here are a few other deals in Sunday's paper that might entice you into the stores today for tax-free savings:

If you know a military veteran with an entrepreneurial streak, you might want to point him or her toward this contest from Sears and Maytag.

The companies have partnered to give a Sears Hometown store to one person. Sears Hometown stores are smaller than traditional Sears stores and are geared more toward meeting local needs rather than being a one-stop shop for everything contained in a traditional Sears store.

The person who wins the Operation Stores and Stripes contest will become the owner of one of these stores. The prize includes things like fixtures, 90 days of rent and the money for things like building permits.

But read the fine print before you apply. You must have a net worth of at least $100,000, and $10,000 of that must be in liquid assets. Entrants will be judged not only on their financial health, but also their past retail experience and ability to run a store.

The town of Wilson, an hour east of Raleigh, will soon lose its only Sears store.

The store will begin its going-out-of-business sale on Feb. 21 and shut down May 9. As a result, 54 employees will lose their jobs.

The Sears Holding Co., based near Chicago, notified the N.C. Department of Commerce about the closure last week. Sears opened the Wilson store in 1997.

Sears spokeswoman Kim Freely said the store is closing for business reasons as part of a periodic assessment of performance and company priorities.

Sears has 27 stores in the state.

The L.A. Times has a story today with all the details. It looks like 13 Sears stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York will bring back the beauty counters. And if all goes well, 100 more in the retail chain will get them next year and up to 400 stores by 2012. Sears got out of the beauty business in 2001, according to the story.

Among the brands the counters will carry: CoverGirl, L'Oreal, Maybelline and Durham-based Burt's Bees. The story also says that Sears will be the exclusive U.S. retailer for Yves Rocher's botanical products.