Two locall-owned restaurants in Calhoun closed their doors recently.

J.D.’s Restaurant, a 50’s style diner and cafe in downtown Calhoun, and Echota Smoke House, a homestyle BBQ restaurant, on Wall Street have stopped serving up plates – at least for now.

Vickie Goswick, owner of J.D.’s Restaurant, said she tried to make the best effort, but the bad economy hurt business.

“The sales the first part of the year were good, then the sales dropped in half and there were many months that we were under budget,” Goswick said.

J.D.’s Restaurant closed Nov. 19; the business had been in operation for a year.

“I hope that we touched a lot of lives through it,” Goswick said. “And, I’m hoping that the right person will step up and take it over.”

Goswick explained that there is a possibility that the restaurant will reopen under a new owner.

“We hope that whoever gets it will put the same TLC that my staff did,” Goswick said.

“I’d like to thank Calhoun and everyone who supported us,” Goswick said. “I’ll miss not getting to see everyone - all the regulars and the people that came in were like family.”

Echota Smokehouse closed its doors in December.

Jimmy Phillips, president of the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce, remains hopeful for the future of local restaurants.

“We’ve had these two close and then there’s been others that have opened,” Phillips said. “It’s kind of hard to figure out why some are making it and some are not.”