What are your memories of Trader Jon's in Pensacola?
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Last call
Trader Jon’s, bar beloved by generations of aviators, celebrities, closes its doors

[from the Marine Corps Times]

It was a mecca for naval aviators, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who got his wings in the past 50 years who hadn’t been there. But after more than five decades, Trader Jon’s is closed for good.
To a newcomer, the first view of the Pensacola, Fla., bar could be overwhelming. Dark and overrun with memorabilia, it had concrete floors, high ceilings draped with flags, a heavy wooden bar surrounded by stools and walls covered with aviation paraphernalia Hundreds of model aircraft dangled from the ceiling, giving the effect of an informal museum.

Sailors and Marines were the core clientele, but the bar also attracted astronauts, politicians, royalty and movie stars, including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Prince Andrew and Brooke Shields.

Martin “Trader Jon” Weissman, an Army veteran who founded the bar in 1952, had a passion for flying and created a naval-aviation theme for his bar. Aviators donated equipment and other items to the decorations. Weissman’s eccentricities added to the appeal: His favorite attire consisted of walking shorts and mismatched socks, and he offered $100,000 to anyone who caught him wearing a matching pair of socks. He claimed he never paid up.

Weissman died in 2000, and Matt Heckemeyer, a 15-year Navy veteran and H-60 helicopter pilot, bought the bar for $464,000 from Weissman’s estate.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Heckemeyer said a couple of days before Trader’s went dark Nov. 8.

Retired Marine Maj. Kent Bolin said he has been a Trader Jon’s regular for 30 years.

“It’s like a habit,” Bolin said. “It’s not the drinking that’s a habit, it’s visiting the place.”