EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — The Purple Place Bar and Grill is fighting to stay open at its original location in El Dorado Hills.
Denise and Mike Hountalas, the owners of the Purple Place Bar and Grill, purchased and renovated the restaurant in 2006. The Purple Place quickly became a beloved restaurant for many El Dorado County residents and those passing through the area.
"We grew the struggling business into a successful community gathering place while we employed multiple generations of families and local high schoolers," Hountalas wrote in a statement to ABC10.
After the restaurant took down its neon sign earlier this week, the community was left wondering about the fate of the restaurant.
"Unfortunately, negotiations with our landlord have been difficult and the terms she has proposed have not been reasonable," Hountalas said. "We remain hopeful that we will be able to come to terms but, while negotiations continue, we decided it was prudent to remove the Purple Place neon sign and place it in storage for safekeeping."
ABC10 reached out to the landlord of the Purple Place but had not heard back from them by the time of publishing.
Hountalas said their desire is to execute a new lease with their landlord, which would allow them to operate at their current location.
According to Hountalas, the Purple Place is open for normal business hours as they continue to work diligently to stay at its original location.
"We remain hopeful that we will be able to come to terms but time is rapidly running out," Hountalas said. "We are grateful to the community for their enormous show of support now and over the many years, we have operated The Purple Place."
The community turned to ABC10, hoping to save the Purple Place.
"We are devastated," El Dorado County resident Judy Bates said. "We have lived in the community for 20 years and want it to stay open."
Residents say over the years, the Purple Place has become an iconic space for them to celebrate birthdays, the end of the year, and everything in between.
"I can't even imagine it not being here. It's a landmark." Daniela McJimsey said. "It would be absolutely devastating to lose it."
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