If you’re a student Seattle Prep, chances are you’ve ended up on the corner of 10th Ave and Miller at some point after school. Maybe you’re grabbing a slice at Pagliacci, getting coffee from Copper Tree, or meeting up with friends at Omaki before practice. The cluster of shops at 10th and Miller has become a familiar stop for students. It’s a place to refuel, kill time, and catch up. It feels like a modern routine, but it turns out Prep students have been doing versions of this for generations. 

Long before pizza slices and boba, students were still heading off campus after the final bell and into the surrounding neighborhood. Capitol Hill has always been a mix of homes, schools, and small businesses, and Prep students naturally made use of what was close by. Over the years, the specific shops may have changed, but the idea stayed the same: a nearby place to hang out, grab a snack, and see friends before heading home or to practice. 

Records from the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog show just how much the business district has evolved. Storefronts along 10th Avenue have housed everything from groceries and meat markets to laundries and taverns. Some buildings have changed hands and purposes many times, adapting as the neighborhood shifted, while still serving the everyday needs of the community. 

Though some businesses have stood the test of time, like the Pagliacci’s, others have struggled to find stability. In fact, the rotating cast of businesses on 10th and Miller was even recognized by the Capitol Hill Blog, calling it a “doomed intersection” for businesses. At 10th and Miller, you never know who might be next… 

The names on the signs may be different now, but the habit hasn’t really changed. For generations, Prep students have been stopping by 10th and Miller after school, talking, laughing, and making memories in whatever shops happened to be there at the time. So the next time you’re deciding between pizza or coffee on that corner, remember: you’re part of a long-standing Prep tradition.