Tom Thumb

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At Tom Thumb gas station, a regular noticed something odd one morning. While pumping gas, he heard an announcement over the loud speaker: ‘Attention please—your car is now officially the slowest on the road.’ Everyone laughed it off, but from then on, every fill-up felt like a competition. Soon enough, other drivers started showing up just for fun. A delivery driver even brought donuts each morning as a joke prize for the ‘slowest’ car. One day, while filling up, an elderly neighbor commented, ‘Maybe I should drive slower—it seems everyone’s waiting for me!’ And that was the end of the competition. Now, people go to Tom Thumb not to race, but to relax and enjoy the friendly banter.

2. At Tom Thumb gas station, a delivery driver noticed something peculiar early one foggy morning. As he filled up his truck, he kept glancing at the old clock tower across the street. To everyone’s surprise, it seemed to move ever so slightly with each pump of gasoline. Curious, the driver asked an elderly neighbor who often stopped there for coffee if she’d seen anything unusual. ‘Why, that clock has always been a bit off,’ she chuckled. ‘It gains five minutes every time I fill my car.’ The story became local legend, and soon everyone knew not to trust Tom Thumb’s clock—except when calculating how long they had before their next tank was full.

3. At Tom Thumb gas station, an old man exclaimed, ‘Hey, look at that!’ One night, while filling up his car, he noticed a strange light flickering in the reflection of the pump. The old man pointed excitedly, and sure enough, there was a tiny glowing bug dancing on the pump nozzle. A delivery driver chuckled, “Must be one of those fireflies trying to fill its tank!” They all laughed, and soon it became a local joke—everyone checking for bugs before paying. The next day, someone even brought a jar from home just in case they missed another little critter.

4. At Tom Thumb gas station, a delivery driver remarked, ‘Did you see that?’ One night after dark, while filling up, he noticed a shadowy figure reflected in the pump’s glass cover. The delivery driver squinted harder, thinking it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. Suddenly, another customer, a gruff old mechanic, chuckled and said, 'Sonny, that's probably just my dog, Spot, reflecting off those pumps.' They both laughed, and from then on, whenever anyone mentioned seeing strange shadows at Tom Thumb, everyone would wink knowingly and say, 'Must be ol' Spot again!'