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==Naval hangout==
[[Image:TraderJonWall.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Trader Jon Weissman by a wall of Navy photographs]]
The bar was widely known for the eccentricities of its owner. Weissman did not set prices for drinks; rather, they varied depending on his mood and how well he knew the customer. This practice was often referred to as "Tradernomics." He was known for wearing mismatched socks and offered a reward to any patron who caught him in a matching pair. He also exchanged drinks for bits of Navy memorabilia, which led to the bar's signature collection and helped reinforce his "Trader" moniker.
[[Image:TJs.jpg|thumb|right|"TJ's" in ''An Officer and a Gentleman'']]
Trader Jon's was the basis of the fictional club "TJ's" in the [[1982]] film ''[[Wikipedia:An Officer and a Gentleman|An Officer and a Gentleman]]'', which was inspired by the [[Officer Candidacy Candidate School]] at [[NAS Pensacola]].
With such an extensive collection of Naval Aviation paraphernalia, Trader Jon's become a haven, not just for Naval aviators, but for aviation enthusiasts from all over the world. Weissman developed a tour that he gave visitors, where he pointed out pieces that he was particularly fond of such as the Tailhook rhinoceros. In the course, of the tour he also made several claims that could never quite be verified but he told them with such sincerity that it was impossible to think that they might be anything other than true. For example, he always told people that a musty saddle was a gift from [[Wikipedia:John Wayne|John Wayne]] and that Trader Jon's was in the Guinness book of World Records for "the largest Civilian collection of Naval Aviation Paraphernalia (which if it wasn't, it perhaps should have been.)
The Blue Angel Museum that he opened in the room annex next to the main bar, was his pride and joy. Not only did it feature composite pictures of the team for years back, but it also featured pictures of the Blue Angels all the way back to the teams inception. The room was also used to host special events, the biggest of which was the party that followed the Blue Angels' Homecoming show in Novemeber November every year.
Among the celebrities to visit Trader Jon's were [[Wikipedia:Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]], [[Wikipedia:John Wayne|John Wayne]], [[Wikipedia:Elizabeth Taylor|Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Wikipedia:Bob Hope|Bob Hope]]. In May [[1986]], Weissman was featured in Hope's birthday special, taped aboard the ''[[USS Lexington|USS ''Lexington'']]''.
In November March [[1991]], two 19-year-old women, [[Cary Higgins]] and [[Tonya Corrado]], were killed in an car accident after drinking at Trader Jon's. Then son in-law, Steve Hammill was serving the two young women through out the night. Higgins, and Corrado were both frequent customers and were given permission to enter underage from Weissman himself knowing the girls were not of age, as Cary Higgins had once worked as his employee and was known by the other employees. Cary Higgins was the only daughter of a Naval Officer. She was also survived by her Mother, brother, and her young daughter. In July [[1992]], Weissman was fined $1,000 by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco for serving alcohol to the underage women, and the bar closes for 18 days. In December [[1995]] Weissman settled a lawsuit with the families of the two women for an undisclosed amount.
The [[Trader Jon's building]] was designated an historic site by the State of Florida in [[1992]].
==Closure & legacy==
The bar closed for good on [[November 9]], [[2003]]. Matt Heckemeyer, who had divorced from his wife since buying the bar, said his inability was at a loss to return pinpoint the exact reason why the bar went under; however, many in the Navy Community, who saw Trader Jon's to in its former glory heyday, suspected it had "a lot to do with the changing environment" of a Navy that frowned upon excessive drinking.<ref name="partyends">"Last call at historic downtown watering hole." ''Pensacola News Journal'', November 5, 2003.</ref>
The [[Trader Jon's building]] was sold for $562,500<ref>[http://www.escpa.org/details.asp?qAcctNum=154347200 Property appraiser's record]</ref> to [[Sarah Brown|Sarah]] and [[Walter Brown]], who planned to expand their women's boutique [[Sarah's]] into the space — months before [[Hurricane Ivan]] destroyed the store's main location in the adjacent [[Phenix Building]] — but these plans were later scrapped.
