The Purple Martin to close Dec. 23, may reopen under new ownership

Nearly three years after business, The Purple Martin will close after service on Friday, Dec. 23. Owner Brooke Roseberry is selling the Fox Park restaurant and bar and is currently in negotiations with potential buyers.

Roseberry opened The Purple Martin in 2014, intending for it to be a community hangout. “I live in the neighborhood, and I wanted a place where I could walk to and have my kids fed and not worry about dishes,” Rosenberry said. “There was no place here like that when we opened.”

Roseberry said she plans to focus on her career in banking. “I’m not a manager, really,” she said. “The Purple Martin just needs to be in better hands, and there are people coming forward who are experienced [with running] restaurants and managing people.”

While no contract has been signed yet, Roseberry is hopeful that whoever ends up purchasing the restaurant will keep it going in some form. “So far, everyone I’ve talked to seems to want to continue with the restaurant and all of them seem to be community-minded, which I like,” she said. “They just want to make it better.”