ARCO

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At ARCO one morning, a delivery driver noticed something strange: every time he arrived around sunrise, an old man appeared from nowhere and started sweeping the parking lot with an antique broom. No one else saw him, but there he was, always gone by the time anyone else came out. One day, the delivery driver decided to follow him. The old man stopped suddenly, turned around, smiled warmly, and said, ‘Morning, sonny! Thought you could use some help keeping this place clean.’ Then he vanished into thin air, leaving behind only his ancient broom. From then on, everyone in town knew that ARCO had its very own ghost janitor—who apparently loved their coffee.

2. At ARCO one night, a gas station attendant overheard an unusual conversation. ‘Did you see that?’ whispered a customer, pointing towards the pumps. The attendant looked up and saw a neon sign above flickering between two words: “Open” and “Closed.” Nobody else seemed to notice it but him. Curious, he walked closer. Just as he did, the sign switched to 'Free Coffee!' A regular nodded knowingly, smiling. ‘They do that every Tuesday,’ he said. The attendant grinned, pouring himself a cup from the hidden thermos behind the counter. Another quiet night at ARCO turned cozy and caffeinated.

3. At ARCO one day, a regular pulled up and asked the attendant if they’d seen the new sign above the pumps. It read: ‘Fill ’er up or lose your deposit.’ The attendant shrugged, ‘You must’ve misread it.’ The man insisted he hadn’t, so the attendant checked himself—and sure enough, there it was: a small plaque that said, ‘Deposit $5 for gas.’ The regular paid up with a smile, shook hands with the guy, and drove off, muttering something about never trusting signs again. Ever since then, everyone calls ARCO the ‘Gas-and-Gamble Station’.

4. At ARCO one afternoon, a little boy pointed excitedly at the pump. ‘Mom,’ he whispered, ‘look—gas is talking!’ His mom smiled and gently shook her head. ‘No, honey, it’s just the gas station talking back.’ The delivery driver overheard them and laughed, saying, “It talks every time someone forgets their credit card!” And that became ARCO’s secret joke for years.