The Inlander14%
A Cheney gas station has become an unlikely hotspot for the latest toy trend, drawing kids together to trade squishies and build community 4%
By Jase Picanso3%
7/22/2026, 7:00:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 18 faulty reasoning types, including Anecdotal, Hasty Generalization, and Framing Effect, with Post Hoc (False Cause) as the most egregious example at 6.1% saturation with 83 hits. Analysis detected 618 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,370 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 18.7% and a BS Rank of 4% (19,304 of 20,062 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 96.20% of the article peer group.
“Add one more tiny thing, and I’ll accept,” 16-year-old Addyson Kitchens says.
On the table between her and 10-year-old Jordan Cross, one large, squishy banana toy faces off against four palm-sized, colorful cubes.
Cross studies the offer for a moment before adding one more item to the trade: a small pink squishy bird.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Kitchens pats her hand on the green check mark on the trading board.
The deal is done.
Cross lets out a small squeal of excitement before turning around to show her father the new toy she just added to her collection.
Cross, who’s entering fourth grade this fall, has so far attended two toy-trading events after getting into collecting squishies with her friends.
She quickly developed a surefire swapping strategy.
“If I put something down that I really like, I just keep adding until they put something down that I actually really like,” she explains.
At the Cheney Conoco, value is in the eye of the beholder.
A giant squishy banana might not be a worthwhile trade to everyone, but at the gas station’s latest Tuesday evening squishy trade, which began in June, every toy can become someone else’s treasure.
Like the fidget spinner craze before them, squishies are the latest toy taking over school-age social media.
Fidget toys use repetitive movements like spinning, clicking or popping to keep hands busy, while squishies are a type of fidget that are soft, slow-rising foam toys made to be squeezed over and over again.
But here they are more than stress toys or collectibles — they’re currency.
A long row of white tables inside the gas station are covered with laminated trading boards featuring green check marks, black plus signs and red Xs to guide each exchange.
As the kids negotiate, they slide their toys onto the boards: a green check means “deal,” a plus sign asks for something more to sweeten the offer, and a red X signals “no thanks.”
The process is simple: Put down what you want to trade, find something you like, and make an offer.
If the other trader agrees, everyone walks away with a new collectible.
What started as an effort to increase the inventory of popular toys at the family-owned Cheney gas station quickly turned the convenience store into an unlikely squishy hotspot.
A whole row of shelves is filled with a mix of brands, but kids often make a beeline for two favorites: RMS USA’s Glitter Mystery Bao Bun squishies ($6-$16) and NeeDoh toys ($4-$16).
The mystery-box dumplings come in different designs, with rare versions becoming coveted additions to collections, while NeeDoh’s wide variety of colorful, squeezable toys offers another way for kids to build their stash.
The second trade meetup in early July drew around 75 people.
“When we first started, we started with dumplings.
We did not know how crazy [popular] they were.
They sold out in less than a day, like about two hours.
And we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, people are loving this,’” says Sierra Athos, the daughter of Cheney Conoco owner Erick Athos, who saw an opportunity to turn the squishy trend into something bigger.
Athos envisioned squishy trades as a way for kids to reuse toys they already owned instead of constantly buying new ones.
“I saw something on TikTok where someone was doing fidget trading, and I was like, ‘We need to do that,’” she says.
Janise Cross, Jordan’s mother, says that the chance to trade for new additions to her collection was exactly what excited her daughter.
“She got really into it with all her friends, so when she found out that they can trade, I think she was most excited because she was like, it’s not brand-new, but it’s new to me,” Cross says.
But the appeal of squishies goes beyond collecting.
“Everyone just got done with school.
That was a little stressful, so things like fidgets and squishies help with anxiety,” Sierra says.
“I would much prefer toys over social media and online electronics.”
The event also reflects a larger goal for the Athos family: creating places for people to gather.
They hope to organize trading events once or twice a month going forward.
“We’re a local, family-owned business, so we like anything that’s fun and different, and we really care about the community,” Sierra says.
Other events the family has hosted include a Halloween trunk-or-treat; the first one in 2019 saw more than 1,200 children attend.
“We care about them, and we want to do something fun for them, especially because Cheney doesn’t have a lot,” Sierra says.
“We have a bowling alley, but we don’t have a lot [else for kids] to do.”
That same desire to bring people together inspired her father, Erick, to support the squishy trading events.
His son Jordan Athos owns Spokane Valley Sports and Trading Cards, and Erick says his family’s longtime love of collecting made him excited about bringing a similar experience to Cheney.
Each attendees’ arrival creates another round of negotiations for the kids surrounding the trading tables.
One child shows up without any toys because her dad forgot them at home.
After buying a new squishy in-box at the Conoco, Erick watches as she makes savvy trades to acquire an entire collection.
“She bought one item over here, traded it unopened, got three things for it, and now she’s traded it up and got like seven other items off of one item,” he says.
This kind of exchange is what makes the event different from a typical toy sale.
“In this stuff, the value is in the eye of the beholder,” Erick says.
“Because one person might think, ‘I really love this squishy,’ while everybody else likes another one.”
That idea of community — and finding value in what others might overlook — also connected the Cheney Conoco with the Cheney Centennial Lions Club.
Before squishies filled its shelves, the gas station became a place people turned to during difficult moments.
In August 2023, the devastating Gray Fire swept through the Medical Lake area, destroying hundreds of homes and burning more than 10,000 acres.
The Cheney Conoco remained open while some other West Plains gas stations closed.
Jessica Boyer, treasurer of the Cheney Centennial Lions Club, remembers needing fuel while evacuating.
The club is a chapter of the Lion’s Club, the world’s largest community service organization.
“My car was on empty, and I thought, am I gonna get out of here?
And somebody said, ‘The Conoco at Safeway’s open,’” Boyer says.
Erick says staying open was about helping however he could.
His introduction to Boyer during the wildfire eventually led to the Cheney Centennial Lions Club partnering on the station’s squishy trades.
A portion of toy sales during the event now support the Lions Club’s community work.
“I think a lot of times people tend to be stuck in their houses, they’re on their phones, on their computers, but they’re missing that sense of community,” Boyer says.
“I love that kids and people of all ages are out visiting with one another and sharing, and taking an interest.”
The trading tables also become a place where social barriers disappear.
“It is very inclusive of people of all different ages.
I like to sit and fidget with things, and I had no idea this was a thing,” Boyer says.
“Here I am connecting, trading with a 7-year-old.”
As the event continues to grow, the Athos family hopes their local business becomes a regular gathering place.
“We’re gonna have more of these,” Erick says.
“We do trunk-or-treat every year.
In September, we’re gonna be doing the back-to-school event, and then if this keeps taking off and doing it, we may have to go bigger on this.”
For a few hours, a Cheney gas station becomes a place where kids gather around trading tables, strike deals and leave with something that feels new, even if it isn’t.
Fidget Trading Frenzy • Next event: Tue, July 28 from 4-6 pm • Free • All ages • Cheney Conoco • 2654 First St., Cheney • Instagram: @cheney.conoco or @cheneycentenniallionsclub
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