Document:

<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.5

                        AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

            THIS AMENDMENT is made as of April 12, 2004 by and between
KIRKLAND'S, INC., a Tennessee corporation (the "Company") and ED WISE (the
"Executive").

            WHEREAS, the Company and Executive are parties to an Employment
Agreement dated as of December 4, 2000 (the "Employment Agreement"); and

            WHEREAS, Section 11 of the Employment Agreement provides that the
Company and Executive may amend the Employment Agreement by mutual agreement in
writing; and

            WHEREAS, the Company and Executive wish to make certain changes to
the Employment Agreement.

            NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of these premises and the mutual
promises contained herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, effective
January 1, 2003, the Employment Agreement is hereby amended as follows:

THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF SECTION 4 IS DELETED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND REPLACED WITH
THE FOLLOWING:

      Compensation. As base compensation for the services rendered hereunder to
      Employer, Employee shall be paid an annual base salary of $175,000.00,
      paid twice monthly, in arrears. Employee shall also receive a monthly
      automobile allowance of $600.00, subject to applicable taxes and
      deductions. In addition, with respect to each fiscal year of Employer
      ending during the term of this Agreement, Employee will be eligible to
      receive an annual bonus (the "Annual Bonus"). The amount of such Annual
      Bonus, if any, payable with respect to a particular year will be
      determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the
      "Compensation Committee"), in its sole discretion. The Compensation
      Committee may establish specific corporate or individual performance
      goals, the achievement of which may trigger the payment of a specific
      bonus amount, may award an Annual Bonus based simply on its assessment of
      Employee's and/or Employer's performance during the applicable year, or
      may award an Annual Bonus based on a combination of subjective and
      objective factors. If deemed necessary or desirable by the Compensation
      Committee, the payment of any Annual Bonus based upon the achievement of
      performance criteria may be conditioned on the approval of Employer's
      shareholders in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue
      Code (the "Code") and related regulations. In any case, any Annual Bonus
      awarded by the Compensation Committee will be paid as soon as practicable
      following the end of the applicable year.

THE DOCUMENT ATTACHED TO THE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT AS EXHIBIT A IS DELETED IN ITS
ENTIRETY.

            The Employment Agreement, as amended by the foregoing changes, is
ratified and confirmed in all respects.

<PAGE>

            IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Amendment to be
executed by its duly authorized officer and Executive has executed this
Amendment, in each case as of the date first written above.

                                             KIRKLAND'S, INC.

                                              /s/ Robert E. Alderson
                                             ----------------------------------
                                             Robert E. Alderson
                                             President and Chief Executive
                                               Officer

                                              /s/ Ed Wise
                                             ----------------------------------
                                             Ed Wise<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.1

                  AMENDMENT NUMBER 7 TO NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

         AMENDMENT NUMBER 7 TO NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this "Amendment"), dated
as of April 6, 2004 among BELK, INC., a Delaware corporation, as debtor (in such
capacity, the "Debtor"), THE BELK CENTER, INC., a North Carolina corporation, as
servicer (the "Servicer" or "Belk Center"), YC SUSI TRUST, a Delaware statutory
trust, as assignee of Enterprise Funding Corporation (the "Trust"), and BANK OF
AMERICA, N.A., a national banking association ("Bank of America"), as agent for
the Trust and the Bank Investors (in such capacity, the "Agent") and as a Bank
Investor amending that certain Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 3, 1999,
as amended prior to the date hereof (the "Note Purchase Agreement").

         WHEREAS, the Debtor has requested that the Note Purchase Agreement be
amended to reflect an extension of the Commitment Termination Date;

         WHEREAS, Bank of America solely constitutes the Majority Investors (as
defined in the Note Purchase Agreement); and

         WHEREAS, the parties hereto have agreed to make certain amendments to
the Note Purchase Agreement.

         NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby agree as follows:

         SECTION 1. Defined Terms. As used in this Amendment, capitalized terms
shall have the same meanings assigned thereto in the Note Purchase Agreement.

         SECTION 2. Amendment to Definitions. The definition of "Commitment
Termination Date" is hereby amended to read as follows (solely for convenience,
changed text is italicized):

         ""Commitment Termination Date" means April 5, 2005; or such later date
         to which the Commitment Termination Date may be extended by Debtor, the
         Agent and the Bank Investors not later than 30 days prior to the then
         current Commitment Termination Date."

         SECTION 3. Representations and Warranties. The Debtor hereby makes to
the Trust on and as of the date hereof, the following representations and
warranties:

                                       1

<PAGE>

                  (a) Authority. The Debtor has the requisite corporate power
         and authority to execute and deliver this Amendment and to perform its
         obligations hereunder and under the Note Purchase Agreement (as amended
         hereby). The execution, delivery and performance by the Debtor of this
         Amendment and the performance of the Note Purchase Agreement (as
         amended hereby) have been duly approved by all necessary corporate
         action and not other corporate proceedings are necessary to consummate
         such transactions;

                  (b) Enforceability. This Amendment has been duly executed and
         delivered by the Debtor. The Note Purchase Agreement (as amended
         hereby) is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Debtor
         enforceable against the Debtor in accordance with its terms, and is in
         full force and effect; and

                  (c) Representations and Warranties. The representations and
         warranties of the Debtor contained in the Note Purchase Agreement
         (other than any such representations or warranties that, by their
         terms, are specifically made as of a date other than the date hereof)
         are correct on and as of the date hereof as though made on and as of
         the date hereof.

         SECTION 4. Limited Scope. This amendment is specific to the
circumstances described above and does not imply any future amendment or waiver
of rights allocated to the Trust under the Note Purchase Agreement.

         SECTION 5. Governing Law. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND
CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

         SECTION 6. Severability; Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed
in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto in separate
counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original
and all of which when taken together shall constitute on and the same
instrument. Any provisions of this amendment which are prohibited or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective
to the extend of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the
remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any
jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any
other jurisdiction.

                                       2

<PAGE>

         SECTION 7. Ratification. Except as expressly affected by the provisions
hereof, the Note Purchase Agreement as amended shall remain in full force and
effect in accordance with its terms and is hereby ratified and confirmed by the
parties hereto. On and after the date hereof, each reference in the Note
Purchase Agreement to "this Agreement", "hereunder", "herein" or words of like
import shall mean and be a reference to the Note Purchase Agreement as amended
by the Amendment.

              [THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

                                       3

<PAGE>

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this
Amendment Number 7 as of the date first written above.

                                                 BELK, INC., as Debtor

                                                 By:    /s/  John M. Belk
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Name:       John M. Belk
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Title:      Chairman
                                                        ------------------------

                                                 THE BELK CENTER, INC.,
                                                 as Servicer

                                                 By:    /s/  John M. Belk
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Name:       John M. Belk
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Title:      Chairman
                                                        ------------------------

                                                 YC SUSI TRUST,
                                                 as Trust

                                                 By:    /s/  Elliot Lemon
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Name:       Elliot Lemon
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Title:      Vice President
                                                        ------------------------

                                                 BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Commitment                                       as Agent and as a Bank Investor
----------
$250,000,000
                                                 By:    /s/  Elliot Lemon
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Name:       Elliot Lemon
                                                        ------------------------
                                                 Title:      Vice President
                                                        ------------------------

                                       4

Source: [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00067-of-00352.parquet"}, [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00067-of-00352.parquet"}]]