After 18 months of business in Wetumpka, Cara's Cafe closed on Monday, Aug. 23.
Brett Hall, who owns the business with his wife Cara Coreale, said various reasons contributed to the decision to close the restaurant.
"It's not just one thing," he said. "People have asked if it's because of COVID, but I can't say for sure if that's all it was because there are other factors at play. There's a growing number of restaurants in the area and then there was Home Town Takeover."
Hall said the HGTV show has drawn so much attention to downtown but people are not venturing beyond the nucleus of downtown Wetumpka. Even though Cara's Cafe is located on S. Main Street, less than 1 mile from the Elmore County Courthouse, Hall said people typically don't stray away from the center of downtown.
"We had good business for the first year, but the last six months have really fallen off," he said. "It's just one of those things that happens. We still love Wetumpka, we're a part of this community. We live here and it's wonderful."
In a message to their customers on Facebook, Hall and his wife stated that they are considering ways to still serve the Wetumpka community.
"We have loved knowing and serving you," the post states. "But, given the current challenges facing the restaurant business, we decided to focus our resources on Cara’s Trattoria in Pike Road. We will continue to offer casseroles and desserts to order, and we are working on logistics to serve Wetumpka."
Cara's Trattoria opened in May in Pike Road. Hall said he and his wife are focusing their efforts to Pike Road location because it is rapidly growing. They're now in the process of moving out of the Wetumpka location.
