Two Charlotte-area Edwin Watts golf stores closing

Two of the three local Edwin Watts golf stores are closing, in the wake of the specialty retailer's bankruptcy.

Those stores, on South Boulevard in Charlotte and Lyles Lane in Concord, are holding liquidation sales, with inventory markdowns starting at around 20 percent and increasing over the coming weeks. They're expected to close for good in early February.

The third area store, on Pineville-Matthews road, will remain open going forward, a worker at that location said.

Earlier this month, Edwin Watts and its 91 stores were sold to a golf retailer and a liquidator for almost $41 million. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November, blaming increased competition from other retailers and the lingering effects of the recession on golf.