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REIDSVILLE — The yard in front of Anita Guill's thrift store is jam-packed with home furnishings.

Dressers, tables, chairs, baby strollers, end tables, mirrors, entertainment centers, lamps, cribs, bed frames.

Deals aplenty, too.

Take the floral-pattern love seat for a recession-busting $5.

"I try to keep up with yard sale prices as much as I can," said Guill, 55, who opened Anita's Inside Yard Sale two years ago with her husband, Larry.

Inside her store, which used to be a television repair business, you'll find used clothes for men, women and children including brands such as Old Navy and Abercrombie.

Hats, belts and shoes, including a pair of Sam & Libby high heels for $1.50, line the shelves.

In one room, a table is filled with dinner plates, bowls, glassware, cups and bottles.

A wall is lined with odds and ends such as candle holders, vases, dolls, mugs and an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile stuffed toy.

Other items for sale include pots, pans, kitchen appliances, video tapes, DVDs, televisions, picture frames and computer accessories.

"If it stays here a month, the price starts going down," she said.

But that hasn't been too much of a problem. Business has been brisk despite a shaky economy.

"I think it's because of the economy," she said. "People are shopping for those bargains more now. They're just not able to go and purchase new stuff."

The store is at 2237 S. Scales St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Her phone number is 554-0152.

You can also view a slide show about her store.

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Parents wanting to get the most bang for their back-to-school spending buck might want to take advantage of North Carolina's annual sales-tax holiday next weekend.

That's when the state lifts the 6.75 percent sales tax on a lot of school-related stuff.

It starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

What's tax-free:

• Clothing, footwear and school supplies of $100 or less per item.
• School instructional materials of $300 or less per item.
• Sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item.
• Computers of $3,500 or less per item.
• Computer supplies of $250 or less per item.

You still have to pay taxes on some other items. Those include clothing accessories, hand bags, watches, cosmetics, protective equipment, furniture, trade-ins and rentals.

More information can be found at the "Links of Interest" section of my blog, Bargain Blog.

Also, don't forget about another tax-free weekend in North Carolina.

During the first weekend of November (Nov. 6-8), certain appliances that carry the Energy Star label can be bought tax-free.

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The owners of a salon at The Shops at Friendly Center in Greensboro are opening a new store at Alamance Crossing this week.

Jade Aveda Salon will open Friday on Walden Lane between Cold Stone Creamery and Red Bowl Asian Bistro.

The salon offers hair design, color, hair treatments, skin care and hair removal.

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The Bargain Box thrift store in downtown Greensboro will soon be having a summer clearance sale.

Merchandise will be 50 percent off Aug. 10 and 11.

On Aug. 12, items will be 75 percent off. Then on Aug. 13, they'll be a buck apiece.

On Aug. 14, it's $5 for a bag full of stuff.

The store is at 122 N. Elm St. in downtown Greensboro.

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A reminder that I've created an online map listing names, addresses, Web sites (if they have one) and links to previous columns about stores I've profiled.

You'll find it under the "Links of Interest" section at my blog, Bargain Blog.

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Become Web savvy. Check out the Bargain Blog at news-record.com.

Also, subscribe to the weekly Bargain Bytes e-newsletter, which is free, at www.news-record.com/bargains.

You can also sign up for my Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/bargainblog.

Contact Mike Fuchs at 373-3465 or michael.fuchs@news-record.com