Commons at University Place Local Fuel Center

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, as a regular was filling up his truck, he heard an odd announcement over the loud speaker: ‘Attention, please fill your tanks with exactly 93 octane today—anything else will cause your engine to hum like a beehive!’ A delivery driver, hearing the announcement, decided to test it and filled up with 87 octane instead. As soon as he started driving, everyone within earshot could hear his truck’s engine buzzing like a swarm of angry bees following him down the street. The next day, the local mechanic joked, 'Maybe you should try that 93 octane after all—it sounds more professional!'

2. A little girl walked into the station one afternoon, her eyes wide with wonder. As she approached the pump, she pointed excitedly and whispered to her mom, ‘Mommy, look! The gas is talking!’ The mother smiled and gently explained, 'No darling, it's just the wind making funny sounds.' But as they drove off, the old mechanic nodded knowingly and muttered under his breath, 'Yep, some days that gas really does sound like it’s having a party!'

3. A delivery driver pulled up to the pump one day and muttered under his breath, ‘I swear, every time I fill here, my gas gauge jumps two whole numbers.’ Finally, a curious mechanic decided to check it out. After an hour of puzzling over the readings, he grinned and said, 'Ah-ha! This isn’t a gas station—this is a local fuel center!' And indeed, each fill-up was topped off with a healthy dose of friendly banter.

4. One night, while pumping gas after a long day, a regular noticed something strange on the ground near the pumps—a small, glowing orb that seemed to follow him around the station. Curious, he followed it inside and found himself standing in front of an old vending machine filled with energy drinks. The glowing orb turned out to be a misplaced neon sign from another store down the street. After a good laugh, our regular paid for his fuel and bought a can of Red Bull—just because he could. From then on, whenever someone asked if they’d seen the ‘ghost,’ everyone knew exactly where to look.