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Sobel Family To Keep Mitchell's Sandcastles Open
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The Sobel family at the Tiki hut on the beach: Grace, Mark, Mary Grace, sons Mark and Jay Michael, Jane Sobel Brown, Mario and Connie Massaro
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by Brian Johnson
News that Mitchell's Sandcastles was going up for sale was not warmly received by the guests. Many had been coming to Sanibel's quaint row of cottages since the 1960s and were afraid the hotel was about to vanish from West Gulf
Drive.
What other hotel had such charm and history? Who else would let them bring their pets? For two years many of the guests worried about the fate of the old-fashioned resort.
So the relief was great when Mark Sobel, an orthopedic surgeon from New Jersey, purchased the 15 cottage estate this summer and assured longtime guests that it would remain open for business.
"We thought someone would take them down and put up a couple of houses," said Grace Waller, who has been vacationing at Mitchell's Sandcastles for the last 20 years. "These people are so nice to keep it the same. We're so happy they've taken over. This is the most beautiful spot on the island, I feel."
Sobel bought the hotel, built by Dean Mitchell in 1960, for $4.25 million. He bought an $850,000 home across the street as a action spot for his family.
"The first time we came up here it floored us," said Sobel, recalling a tour of the property with his wife, Mary Grace. "We said, this is it, this is for us. We wanted old Florida, we wanted something natural. We love the vegetation, the beaches. We're not coming here to be at the Ritz Carlton. We're not into big development."
On June 1, the day after closing, Sobel was presented with an offer of $5.25 million for the hotel. He could have pocketed $1 million in profit and walked away, but his heart was already set on preserving a little piece of island history.
"It's an honor to be here," he said. "We could never uproot these folks." Sobel will keep hotel manager Jesse Stark in charge of daily operations. Stark has lived on the grounds for the past 15 years and is known and liked by the guests. "I'm very pleased about it," Stark said. "They're very nice people. I think we're going to work well together."
The Sobel family arrived on Sanibel on June 20 for a two-week vacation. His children and in-laws are enthralled by the tropical hideaway.
"The life in Florida is beautiful," said Sobel's father-in-law, Mario Massaro. "I know what it is like to be cold. I've wanted to come to Florida all of my life!" The two boys, Mark and Jay Michael, love to swim in the pool behind their home. Grace, an eight-month old girl, points at the palm trees and the lizards.
Whenever the family takes a walk across to the beach, guests come up to them and thank them. Each one has a story to tell about coming to Mitchell's Sandcastles and what the place means to them.
"I asked a few people if they wanted anything changed," said Sobel. "They said, don't change a thing!"
Having just spent more than $5 million for the hotel and the West Gulf Drive residence, Sobel and his wife do feel, from time to time, a twinge of anxiety about the size of their mortgage note. But then they think of the long history of return visitors at Mitchell's Sandcastles. .
"This was a big purchase," said Sobel. "I'm no Rockefeller. This is the biggest project I've ever taken on. But the thing that convinced me to do it is that I trust the people will keep coming back to stay here." Craig Albert, the president of the Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, worked with Sobel on the deal. He provided a 10-year mortgage note at a rate that made the transaction possible. "I'm very grateful to Craig, and his creative financing," said Sobel.
It's a busy life for Sobel, who, in addition to his medical practice, owns a shoe' store and volunteers his time to his old high school. He will be in regular contact with Stark while up north in order to stay close to the business. Mary Grace will also help with Mitchell's Sandcastles and seems to work as many hours as her husband. There will be a new gift shop at the cottage, but otherwise things will remain the same.
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