Burlington, VT's Nectar's Goes Up For Sale

Beloved Burlington, VT music venue, restaurant, and bar, Nectar’s, was recently put on the market for sale according to a real estate listing by Donahue and Associates.

Both Nectar’s and the building that the business occupies, 180-192 Main Street, are for sale for $300,000 and $2.2 million, respectively. The listing notes that the $2.2 million sale price for the building does not include the business. The business’ sale for $300,000 would include both Nectar’s on the first floor and Club Metronome on the second floor.

The listing gives a glimpse inside the venue’s storied history. It explains,

The historical bar and music venue was pioneered by none other than Nectar Rorris in 1975. His vision for the space was simple; serve food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then every night have live bands playing with no cover. The venue soon became a place for local bands to ’hone their chops’ as they ventured out into Burlington’s music scene. Nectars has since been operating for over 40 years and has become the launching point for bands such as Phish, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, as well as Kat Wright & Her Indomitable Soul Band.

Phish first played Nectar’s on December 1st, 1984 and went on to play the venue nearby downtown Burlington’s Church St. over 40 times through 1989. The venue became a gathering place for local fans to welcome the band home after returning from tours in their formative years. The band would frequently log three sets per night at the local club, the last of which gave them a unique opportunity to hone the often outrageous stage antics for which they’re now known.

Nectar’s and its former proprietor and namesake, Nectar Rorris, were immortalized in the Phish canon with the release of the band’s third album, A Picture of Nectar. The album cover features a silhouette of Rorris superimposed onto an orange. As the band noted in the 1992 album’s liner notes,

Eight and a half years ago, we played our first bar gig at Nectar’s in Burlington. Nectar Rorris, the proprietor, was happy to give us a gig despite our lack of experience, organization, or a song list long enough to last two sets. The night went well enough and soon we were playing a series of monthly three night stands – three sets a night on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Like countless other bands in Burlington’s diverse music scene, those nights at Nectar’s taught us how to play. We dedicate this album to Nectar Rorris for 16 years of bringing Burlington live music every night of the week with no cover, and the best fries this side of…France.

Who knows… Maybe one of the artists whose careers were launched from the Nectar’s stage will swoop in and buy up the club. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened in recent memory.

So, Trey, Jon, Mike, and Page, what do you say?

[H/T Burlington Free Press]