Trader Jon's
Trader Jon's was a bar in downtown Pensacola that was a popular destination for officers and aviators stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Origins
Trader Jon's was founded by Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman and his wife Jackii on January 1, 1953. The bar's location at 511 South Palafox Street (now known as the Trader Jon's building) dates back to 1896 and was previously occupied by such tenants as Samuel Charles's shoe repair shop and Birgar Testman's ship chandlery.
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. He was known for wearing mismatched socks and gave free drinks to patrons who caught him in a matching pair. He also exchanged drinks for bits of Navy memorabilia, which led to the bar's signature collection.
Trader Jon's was the basis of the fictional club "TJ's" in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, which was inspired by the Officer Candidacy School at NAS Pensacola.
Changing hands
Trader Jon's closed in 1998, a year after Weissman suffered a debilitating stroke that kept him from work; he died on February 18, 2000. Navy flight instructor Matt Heckemeyer and his wife Kerry purchased the bar for $465,000 on August 8, 2000. After spending an estimated $150,000 on renovations, they reopened the bar on September 1 of that year — what would have been Weissman's 85th birthday.
Closure & legacy
The bar closed for good on November 8, 2003. The building was sold to Sarah and Walter Brown, who planned to expand their retail clothing store Sarah's into the space, but these plans were scrapped after Hurricane Ivan destroyed the adjacent Phenix Building. The collection of Navy memorabilia, appraised at approximately $2 million, was purchased by law firm Aylstock Witkin & Sasser and donated to the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. It will be featured in the Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center.
Other images
A wooden statue of Weissman that greeted visitors
Kerry and Matt Heckemeyer at work
