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BURLINGTON, Vt.<\/strong> \u2013 As a Greek immigrant who came to the United States in 1956, Nectar Rorris never imagined the Vermont restaurant and music club he opened 50 years ago would become synonymous with Phish<\/a>, but he credits the jam band with giving Nectar\u2019s a national spotlight and making it a place sought out by local and traveling musicians alike. <\/p>\n \u201cPhish made Nectar’s,\u201d the 86-year-old Rorris said recently. <\/p>\n Phish meanwhile credits Rorris with their early success, giving them a stage to experiment on when they were starting out in the early ’80s. <\/p>\n But now, the iconic Burlington venue that fostered a community of diverse artists has closed its doors, despite negotiations to keep the music going.<\/p>\n Nectar\u2019s announced it was taking a pause in June, citing \u201cimmense challenges affecting both downtown Burlington and the local live music and entertainment scene.\u201d Several weeks later, the venue announced on social media that it was closing for good. The post immediately drew hundreds of comments and tributes from musicians, former employees and fans.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a musician, you want to move up. You get a few fans; you go to a bigger club<\/a>. That\u2019s what Nectar\u2019s was,\u201d said Chris Farnsworth, who covers Burlington\u2019s music scene for the Vermont newspaper Seven Days.<\/p>\n Farnsworth noted that the venue \u2014 a brick building with a neon sign \u2014 \u201cholds a very important place\u201d in Phish lore<\/a>. The band’s 1992 record was titled \u201cA Picture of Nectar\u201d as a tribute to the venue and to Rorris, who gave the fledgling band a residency for nearly two years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe guys from Phish were very good to us,\u201d said Alex Budney, who started at Nectar\u2019s in 2001 as a cook when he was 19, making their famous gravy fries and later working almost every job in the building over 20 years.<\/p>\n \u201cMy college band would play there on Monday nights and it would be like nobody there. But the keyboard player from Phish would come down in a snowstorm and sit at the bar and watch us play and talk to us,\u201d Budney said.<\/p>\n Phish bassist Mike Gordon<\/a>, who still lives in the area, even popped in during singer-songwriter Maggie Rose\u2019s sound check last September and joined her band for two songs that night. Rose had rerouted her tour just to be able to play at Nectar\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the perfect excuse to go to this legendary venue in this amazing, creative, artistic town,\u201d said Rose. \u201cThe lore of Nectar\u2019s did not disappoint. It truly was just one of those surreal moments.\u201d<\/p>\n Phish declined to comment on the venue’s closing, as did the current owner. <\/p>\n Rorris opened Nectar’s in 1975 with two partners. <\/p>\n \u201cThey borrowed money from their parents. I did the same and we closed the deal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In the beginning, Rorris focused solely on the restaurant, leaving the music booking and finances to his partners. Eventually, his partners wanted to move on, so the three sold the business to a new owner who only lasted six months. Rorris decided to buy the business back and ran it by himself until 2003, when he decided to sell for personal reasons. <\/p>\n \u201cThe bands were real thrilled to see that I was taking it back and that I was going to hire them back,” he said. “From then, it took off.\u201d <\/p>\n Though Phish made Nectar\u2019s famous, the venue also hosted such artists as Vermont\u2019s own Grace Potter and Anais Mitchell, B.B. King, Spacehog, Blind Melon and the Decemberists. And it was known for regular music series including Metal Mondays; Dead Set Tuesdays \u2014 a tribute to The Grateful Dead<\/a>; blues, jazz and reggae nights; comedy shows and Sunday Night Mass, a production showcasing electronic artists from around the world.<\/p>\n