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GREENSBORO - S&K Menswear will close two of its longtime locations in the city, but the president of the company has no intention of leaving the Gate City.

"We've been in your market for 30 years," said company CEO and President Joe Oliver . "We'll be there as long as there's an S&K. We're not pulling out of the market at all."

What the Richmond, Va.-based company is leaving are antiquated sites in strip centers, which are no longer the shopping destinations they used to be, Oliver said.

Closing sales are under way at the store at 2805 Battleground Ave. and the location at 3901 High Point Road . Oliver anticipates those stores will close by the end of the month.

Those stores, which Oliver estimated have been open more than two decades, are in strip centers that were popular a generation ago but don't resonate with today's consumers.

"They reflected more who we were than who we are right now," he said.

Today's shoppers gravitate toward malls and "lifestyle centers" similar to Friendly Center or Durham's The Streets at Southpoint.

And those locations are where S&K wants to be.

The company's store in Four Seasons Town Centre, which Oliver called one of his best, will remain open.

The holidays are over, and retailers are trying to scrub stores clean of their red and green inventory.

That means great deals on next year's Christmas cards, decorations, music and even a birthday gift or two.

In the jumble of post-holiday sales, keep your eyes peeled for items that can serve as gifts year-round.

Many are marked down 50 to 75 percent along with the ceramic Santas and blinking reindeer.

If gift sets have a holiday theme, just repackage the contents in a nice basket or cellophane wrap.

Former Tobacco USA to close by month's end

After more than three decades in business, the family that owns West Market Gourmet is calling it quits.

Blame the economy for that bitter news.

"Given the economic conditions, we had to close," co-owner Jerome Pappas said.

The gourmet food and gift store, formerly known as Tobacco USA, will close by the end of January, he said.

The store at 3900-H W. Market St. is liquidating its inventory with closing sales of 25 to 75 percent off.

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Do you have a retail news or shopping tips for Savvy Shopper? Contact Lanita Withers at 373-7071 or email lanita.withers@news-record.com.