[Baltimore Sun] JD’s Smokehouse closes, sells decor in Bel Air
Read Time:3 Minute, 30 Second
Walls once covered by beer signs, whiskey barrels and promotional signs were empty Thursday as customers walked through JD’s Smokehouse — not for craft beer and BBQ, but to buy the decor of one of Bel Air’s most-treasured eateries after it closed two weeks ago.
JD’s Smokehouse was a cozy bar and grill off East Churchville Road in Bel Air, known for its live music and small-town atmosphere.
For the past 10 years, Harford residents were welcomed by a variety of illuminated signs hanging from the windows and a wooden bear statue just inside the door.
Though the bear still greeted newcomers, the restaurant’s windows were empty, accompanied by unpainted outlines of whiskey barrels on the walls after the smokehouse posted on Facebook Wednesday that anyone interested in buying the restaurant’s decor should stop by Thursday and Friday.
Katie Thomas, a bartender at JD’s for the past six years, said when she arrived at the restaurant around 10 a.m. Thursday, there was a line of people waiting to get in and buy its decor. Around 1 p.m., little remained.
Regulars of the restaurant stopped in to pick up their customer beer glasses with names like “Buzz The Bearded” etched into them, inquiring about the reason for the closure.
Owners of the smokehouse did not officially say why they were closing, but Thomas said the owners live in Florida and are looking to retire.
Thomas was one of the only employees of the former smokehouse present Thursday as she navigated price questions, called the owners for the green light to sell handcrafted artwork and located custom engraved glasses for the smokehouse’s loyal customers.
“I really liked working here but now I have to look for a new job,” Thomas said over the sound of a power drill being used to unmount a sign from a wall. “The owners were great people to work for.”
Among the few picking through the decor Thursday evening, Danny Hauser, wheeled authentic Jack Daniel’s Whiskey barrels to a van out front.
Hauser called himself a collector of whiskey and said he planned to repurpose the barrels to withstand weather conditions and hold plants for his home.
“Jack Daniel’s is a well-known brand so it’s kinda cool to have this stuff with the label still on it,” Hauser said.
He noted that he spent $350 on a few barrels and two large, hand-painted murals inside the restaurant’s dining area.
According to Thomas, the JD’s Smokehouse property had been up for sale for “a while.” Thomas could not confirm if the owners were able to sell the property.
At this time, it is unclear what business might take over the lot.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.
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