DALTON, Ga. — Carol Gilley led her daughter Sheila by the hand across the parking lot of the Kmart on Glenwood Avenue Thursday afternoon.

“No, I hadn’t heard that,” she said when told the store would be closing. “That’s so sad. I’ve been shopping here my whole adult life.”

The Kmart on Glenwood Avenue is one of 45 stores set to close by late January 2018, the store’s parent company, Sears Holdings, announced Thursday. The Kmart on Walnut Avenue will remain open.

Steve Allen, manager of the Glenwood Avenue Kmart, referred questions to a public relations agency that could not be reached Thursday evening.

Carl Campbell, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority, called the announcement “disappointing.”

“You certainly don’t want to see anybody lose a job,” he said. “You don’t want to see that loss of sales tax revenue.”

But Campbell stressed this announcement does not reflect any weakness of the Dalton or Glenwood Avenue economies.

“The good news, if there is any, is that the interest in that corridor continues to grow,” he said. “I don’t think that space will remain empty for long.”

The company said it would also close Kmarts in Macon and Tifton.

“Sears Holdings continues its strategic assessment of the productivity of our Kmart and Sears store base and will continue to right size our store footprint in number and size,” the company said in a press release. “In the process, as previously announced, we will continue to close some unprofitable stores as we transform our business model so that our physical store footprint and our digital capabilities match the needs and preferences of our members.”

The company also announced it would close 18 Sears stores. Liquidation sales will begin as early as Thursday at stores that are closing.

“It’s important to note that these stores will remain open to serve members during the holiday season,” according to the press release. “Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores.”

The company closed the Sears store in Walnut Square Mall in September.