Trader Jon's
Trader Jon's in the 1950s
Restaurant information
EstablishedJanuary 1, 1953
ClosedNovember 9, 2003
Street address511 South Palafox Street
CityPensacola, Florida
CountyEscambia County, Florida
StateFlorida
CountryUnited States
Coordinates30°24′26″N 87°12′51″W / 30.407101°N 87.214197°W / 30.407101; -87.214197

Trader Jon's was a bar in Pensacola, Florida which operated from 1953 to 2003. It became famous for its owner, Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman's personal eccentricities, "Tradernomics", and large collection of military memorabilia.

History

The building that was the location of Trader Jon's was erected in 1896. From the 1890s to the 1950s, it was home to Samuel Charles Shoe and Leather Establishment and Birgar Testman's ship chandlery, as well as being rented out to numerous other businesses.[1][2]

A historical marker in front of the now-5eleven Palafox
A historical marker in front of the now-5eleven Palafox

On January 1, 1953, Martin Weissman founded Trader Jon's with his wife, Jackie Bond.[3] Before opening the bar, Weissman served in the United States Army, training as a paratrooper during World War II, but being discharged after breaking his ankle before his scheduled deployment to Europe.[4] He later operated bars in Miami and Key West before moving to Pensacola.[5]

The bar became famous for its owner, Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman's mismatched socks, personal eccentricities, and practice which became known as "Tradernomics", in which he would give drinks based on his mood and how well he knew the customer.[6] Many celebrities, including John Wayne, Larry King and Prince Andrew, visited the bar.[7][8]

Inside of Trader Jon's
Inside of Trader Jon's

In September 1997, Weissman suffered a stroke that left him partly paralyzed and with impaired speech. Having never fully recovered, he died at the age of 84 on February 18, 2000.[9] On January 16, 2001, six people were in the bar when customers noticed smoke coming from the Blue Angels Museum room in the bar. Two customers raced over to save as much things as possible from the fire, and the Pensacola Fire Department stopped the fire before it could spread to the rest of the bar.[10] Trader Jon's officially closed on November 9, 2003.[2]

In October 2016, a new exhibit in the Pensacola Museum of History opened, featuring 15 percent of the estimated 10,000 pieces of military memorabilia that make up the Trader Jon collection, which is valued at $2,000,000.[7]

Notable visitors

John Wayne
John Wayne
Larry King
Larry King
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Samuel Charles, in the 1905 Polk's Pensacola City Directory | University of West Florida Archives and West Florida History Center ArchivesSpace". uwf.lyrasistechnology.org. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  2. 1 2 "Trader Jon's Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  3. ↑ "Wife of 'Trader Jon' dies at age 83". Pensacola News Journal. February 10, 2005.
  4. ↑ Myer, Thomas St. "Trader Jon's exhibit coming to T.T. Wentworth". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  5. ↑ "Trader Jon - real name Martin Weissman | UWF Historic Trust". uwfhistorictrust.pastperfectonline.com. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  6. ↑ "Trader Jon's brought back to life in downtown Pensacola". The Pulse. 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  7. 1 2 Moon, Troy. "Trader Jon's makes return to Pensacola (kinda)". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  8. ↑ "Celebrity Guests of Trader Jons by Joseph Rainey". Pixels. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  9. ↑ "MARTIN WEISSMAN". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  10. ↑ "Pensacola News Journal 17 Jan 2001, page 19". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  11. ↑ Edman, Carter (1996). "Trader Jon: Unofficial Curator of Naval Aviation". Naval Aviation News. hdl:2027/uiug.30112105167453.
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