The idea to open a gay bar in Eau Claire in 1994-1995 originated with Vern Knox, who had the concept for The Trading Company and sought out investors and a partner to help since he (Knox) didn't plan to stay in Eau Claire after college. His planned partner Wayne Merek jumped on the concept and put the business solely in his name, although Knox had done most of the setup and investor sourcing. The bar opened on Labor Day weekend of 1995.

Within the year (by April 1996), Trading Company had three floors of bar space. Merek had by then also opened the Stage Door Cafe next door, running 12 hours a day on weekends between the two, using the Cafe as an after-bar space. As with the bar itself, Merek had opened the Cafe without any input from would-be partner Knox, who had all the experience. (See article in Quest magazine volume 3-05, page 9, below.)

In early-mid 1996 Merek hired someone else as general manager, again without input from Knox (who had been away for a week vacation), and as a result Knox left the business in July or August 1996.

In January 1997, Merek opened another bar, Scooters, one block away. For a time the two bars advertised together, in at least one case calling the other a "sister bar".

Starting in December 1997 ads for 'Scooters' no longer mentioned The Trading Company, and although Trading Company continued to be listed in In Step magazine's bar guide until that periodical ceased in November 2003, we believe Trading Company had in fact closed in 1997. The location was listed as being used by subsequent bar "CJ's Great Escape" from Sept. 2001 to January 2002 (Quest 8-12 to 8-17), and then "The Stone's Throw" from June to November 2005. We have not yet located information about either of those bars.