YORK, Maine — The Purple Palace , a longtime staple of Short Sands Beach , is under contract after a family fallout between the owner and her grandson, who sued her over the breakfast place.
Realtor Joseph Italiaander said he could not disclose any information about the pending transaction but said it was under contract Wednesday. The restaurant in the purple building at 1 Railroad Ave. has been run by its owner, Sandra Wilson, since 1976.
Wilson inherited the restaurant from her father, Harry Riback, and in 1987, gave it a new name. She advertised a special of sausage, two eggs, home fries and toast for $3.95. Wilson put the building up for sale this winter after working briefly with her grandson Joseph Rosenfield on transitioning it to his ownership.
That led to a legal battle , which has been on pause since last fall. Rosenfield alleged Wilson reneged on their agreement to sell him the restaurant, which he hoped to run and carry on the family tradition. The case was filed in 2022, and the stay was granted in November.
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The longstanding breakfast place remained closed in the summer of 2023 after Rosenfield filed his lawsuit. Wilson’s attorney, in a response to the lawsuit, wrote that she never agreed to sell the building to her grandson.
The Boulos Company states on its listing that the Purple Palace is on the market for the first time in 41 years. The listing touts the building as a “prime location within walking distance of Short Sands Beach.” It also mentions the property’s visibility with heavy foot and vehicle traffic.
The property was initially listed at $895,000. It was last listed at $695,000.
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Italiaander said earlier this year he was representing Wilson as the seller. Wilson did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday. She previously said she had hoped to have Rosenfield take over the business.
“I tried very hard, you know, to have family work there,” Wilson said last year. “It just didn’t work out.”
Rosenfield said via text Wednesday he is no longer involved in the Purple Palace or its sale. He said previously he still lives in York, a community he loves, and works in Portland. He has said he would have liked to have kept the Purple Palace in the family for future generations.
"We wanted to keep it going. I wanted my son to run it," Rosenfield said previously. "We were really proud."
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sale pending: York Beach's Purple Palace finds potential buyer amid family dispute
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