Hi,
Have a look at MSSQL
REPLACE function.
You can use it to remove your html character, like:
SELECT
REPLACE(REPLACE('<p> From farmhouse to industrial chic, from the urban loft all the way out selection!</p>', '<p>', '') , '</p>', '')
To replace multiple characters, you need to nest the REPLACE function.
[edit]Updated to replace start and end tags[/edit]
... hope it helps.