A lovely little shop of curiosities, plants and crystals. Very friendly service and very affordable to shop. Their back area if full of beautiful plants and books that show you how to handle your plants. The taxidermy throughout the store is fascinating as well as the handmade designer jewelry. Highly recommend

Hands down my top 3 favorite store in SF, Paxton Gate is a gem! I was lucky enough to come for an insect pinning class before COVID and it was epic!If you enjoy funky stores related to taxidermy / entomology / garden store like this, Paxton is one of the best I have seen in the world. Besides them its Le Prince Jardinier in Paris & The Evolution Store in NYC.

Such an amazing store, filled top to bottom with so many cool things to see. Definitely a unique store with items made by local artists, plants, books, bones, gemstones, natural history, kids curiosities and more. Its like a urban treasure hunt.

Definitely go take a look. It has unique things.

Excellent quality of items. I enjoyed my time there.My review wouldve been five stars unfortunately I never received a phone call back about a double scan on a single item purchase. (Yes, I called during store hours.)Please be more diligent about this. I am a traveler I wouldve greatly appreciated the assistance.Currently the store requires you to wear a mask which is silly in my mind however they are not alone alot of Californias residents are still within this mind set.Thus know before you go. Bring a mask for now.

Really AMAZING collection of unique and unusual items and collectibles! My daughters love the shells and rocks. Impressive taxidermy creatures on display, books and plants and gardening items in the back. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. We try and stop by every time were in the neighborhood.

Absolutely love this place and their entire collection, very helpful staff who are equally friendly. Best place in SF for oddities

One of my favorite creepy cool stores in SF

Such an unique and cool store! Highly recommend this place if you are in the mission!

Very quirky eclectic shop. Fun for gifts.

Paxton gate is a very cool place they have minerals and taxidermy and plants I would recommend to come here

This store certainly has everything weird and wonderful. Its one of those store you can browse for hours and still miss stuff.

Awesome place! A must-go store in mission district.

Gems, plants, taxidermy, candles... Interesting and beautifully curated shop.

Lots of character! Sells taxidermy, plants, crystals and more. I can imagine the horns they have would be good for cosplay. They also have a cute bookshelf with books on mushrooms, insects, and design stuffs. Definitely worth checking out if youre in the neighborhood

Very good place to visit. The fossils, maps and other skeletons structures were beautiful. I remember I saw the Grays Anatomy book there, which is still my favorite study book since my graduation.

Great store with very unique merchandise. They sell from very cute plants to preserve butterflies.

In a word....LOVE. Great oddities, rocks, bones, taxidermy, books, succulents and more. Spooky!

They had a nice collection, but I did find it to be over priced in some areas. I am really intrested in the classes they offer, I feel those are a great bargin. They had a nice selection on different types and sizes of air plants, succulents and cacti. Im sure we will be back to see new things (Im sure they rotate stock) and see if they get something we cannot resist. They did not have any human bones, that was kind of a disappointment.

Love this store and all of the oddities that lie within it; from a pig fetus to a giraffe bust to an entire diy terrarium area in the back. Always a fun place to stop and everyone I bring here is amazed and has never been anywhere quite like it. If youre in SF, I definitely recommend stopping here for something different

Such a cool shop - definitely worth a stop if you are in the area!!

Cool place to find taxidermy related items. They also have a decent selection of pants. I bought myself a little fern.

I have always loved visiting this shop. It is an instant mood lifter for me, and I usually leave with an item or two. Whether it be a gift for a friend, a new plant or just a little reward for myself. Today I rewarded myself for a personal accomplishment with some rainbow hematite. The staff was friendly as always, but I must comment that they have really risen to the occasion. I rang a bell to be assisted at the door, my temperature was checked, and I was provided hand sanitizer. Everyone was masked and shields were in place, which was a real comfort for me as Im immunocompromised. The number of guests is also limited, but I was one of the only customers mid day and week. If you are hesitant due to the state of the world - they are also to happy to help you over the phone as I overheard while I was shopping.Just a delight, as always.

I liked the nature inspired gift and gift ideas. Some of my group thought it was kind of pricey, but I disagreed. It seemed reasonable for the type of store and for the new San Francisco. There seemed to be a nice mix of what one would find a a store focused on the weirdness of nature. If you habe friends who appreciate nature and all its quirky beauty, you will probably find something up their alley.

First went there in 2003 and last loved it.

Good place to buy souvenirs, and not only for children

Odd taxidermy, entomology & skull/bones store but worth a visit for sure! Very unique. The best part was in the back of the store!! Gorgeous backyard setting. Lots of design ideas as well as cool succulents & plants for sale. Stop by if youre in the Mission District.

All kinds if fun stuff.

Unique and whimsical.

Good place to get unique succulents.

Edgy store, cool stuff.

First and foremost, I fell in love with Paxton Gate, its fantastic assortment of plants, minerals and specimens, the whole ambiance and the quirky unique concept. Worth exploring. Still to me its pretty unusual to visit a store where stuffed animals are sold; some of the trophies and insects made me feel uneasy but still I bought a butterfly.

If this shop was where I live, Id be broke. Cannot tell you how many things Id have bought had I free-reign. Mercifully, its an ocean and a continent away.However, Im off back to my hotel to see what I can live without so I can pack my bags full on the return home.Really beautiful specimens, nicely presented and such a range that if youre into this sort of thing, youll struggle not to find something you love.Definitely worth a visit for the curious also.

One of my FAVORITE businesses in the world! So many minerals, bones, plants, specimens... my heart can barely take it.PICTURED: my home decor including a leaf nose bat skull from Paxton’s Gate

SO unique! This landscape/taxidermy store has a little bit of everything. Perfectly set in the Mission district of San Francisco its hard not to take a trip inside while walking Valencia street. The insect selection is beautiful and even though Im not big on bugs you have to pick them up. Trust me, youll feel like a child again exploring and learning about these little fascinating... things.I dont know how I feel about the skeletons of mice being dressed up in fanciful human clothing but that is something you dont see everything and for that Paxton has now grabbed your attention. You can find all of your horticulture needs within the back of the store although it could take you an hour easily to make your back there to head outside and see the store in its entirety.Truly a fun experience for all ages.

Weird and wonderful shop thats perfect if you want to feel your cabinet of curiosities. However, if you are in international customer its rather difficult to get any of there specimens home as they are often old and do not have paperwork. I would still highly recommend anyone passing by to drop in and see if theres anything to their liking.

Quirky shop. Specializing in archeological finds and animal bones and parts, unusual and unique. Worth a look. May not be suitable for young children.

So much to take in! Everyone I know loves visiting this shop, my three year old niece, my nine year old nephew, and all of my grown-up friends too. I go there to buy gifts, jewelry, plants, books, and so much more. Its a beautiful and interesting place to visit, even if youre not shopping. GO!

Wall down the ramp and be greeted with an eclectic mix of indie and experimental music, scented candles and taxidermy creatures. Skulls of various animals watch you as you make your way past scientific reading such as How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack, while rays of sunlight dance around the hanging plants and skylights. All in all, a very interesting and highly recommended experience!

Curiouser and curiouser! If youre looking for a unique gift, new air plants or just a shop that will make your kids say wow! Then Paxton Gate is a place to try.They have a wide selection of taxidermy, posters, jewellery and more to style your home, or gift that person who has everything. It really is a great store which you could easily lose an hour.Its a lovely bright space and they even have classes for you to attend if you want to learn curious skills.

I absolutely adore this place. So much to look at and explore. The prices are pretty great. Theres so much thought, time, and personality put in to the store. I recommend this place to everyone, especially curiosity lovers.

Truth be told, I havent actually bought anything from this store. Its one of my favourite spots to take visiting guests or newcomers to the Mission. Really fun to browse, knowledgeable staff, and really unique selection. Ive resisted the urge many times to buy a curiosity, of which there are many.

We were disappointed with the prices. Rent must be 10,000 a month or something. Employees seemed irritated with any questions. The did have some beautiful specimens. We did however see damaged ones as well l. Was surprised. The PG in Portland is considerably less expensive and all around more fun

Great knowledgeable staff!

So many beautiful flowers, bones and trinkets! I love this store, great for browsing many unique items. Its my favorite place to buy smaller houseplants. Ive purchase numerous air plants, a maidenhair fern, and a few succulents, all of which have been very healthy. Staff has always been super helpful, walking me through care instructions.

Bought a lovely beetle in a shadow box. Good sized, well displayed, priced reasonably. Fun shop in general. If you want already preserved and presented, or if you got some crafty ideas for remains.

It is very good shopping for a very specific buyer. I cant say I enjoyed the store, I found the amount of death in the store to be almost overwhelming. It very sad. A dead giraffe, dozens of animal heads and dead bodies throughout the store. Not for me. But they certainly have a very unique collection for a buyer of dead animals and so long as what they are selling is legal, its not for me to say they cant.

Amazed at this place! Quite creepy with all those stuffed animal heads looking down on us. Love the collection of butterflies and bugs though. Wanted to check each and go up the balcony but didnt have time. Good lesson in taxidermy.

Paxton Gate opened my own eyes inwardly, helping me find the personal tastes I always held but never cultivated due to a lack of shops dealing in such odd, macabre wares. The taxidermy collection is a real treasure, and any of the gorgeous lepidoptery displays and insects are affordable, and far more interesting home displays than the mass-printed posters and bar signs you find elsewhere in thrift shops and such. Even if you find yourself completely turned off by taxidermy, Paxton Gate will open your eyes to all manners of oddities you may never have known yourself to love.

This is a great little store to go to for unusual and educational gifts. It is organized really well so that if you have a kid that is into bugs - all those toys are in one place. If your kid loves space - theres another section for that. I usually spend a lot of time in this store wandering around and playing with all of the different things that they have. I really love some of the handmade wooden toys they have as well. It feels like the type of wholesome toys every kid should grow up with.

If youre looking for an animal skull, taxidermy, or baby racoons preserved in jars of alcohol... this is the place.

This shop certainly has its fair share of unique gifts from stones to terrariums (make your own, too) to jewelry to books to small gifts. The staff is friendly, not pushy and no matter your budget, youll be able to find something for almost anyone. The more eccentric that someone, the better.Note: You may not take photos of anything in shadowboxes, bookcases or the lamps, but everything else is fair game.

Happen to be searching for a dead stuffed animal to decorate your home? Then head on over to Paxton Gate! Its a fun funky little shop that sells unique items from taxidermy animals to beautifully displayed colorful butterflies to your basic gardening supplies.They have a cute little gardening section in the back of the store with a great selection of succulents and air plants - perfect if you are looking to make a terrarium. Everything in this shop will definitely spark your curiosity and leave you wanting more!

Unique and odd items! Great place to shop in person or online!

Cabinet of curiosities for the home if you are into crystals, rocks, fossils, taxidermy and succulents (very popular in SF). They also have things like handmade jewellery. A great place to browse - didnt look at the prices of things though!

Such a cool place. The little mice in particular killed me (is that insensitive?) And the collection in general was staggering. There was a broader range of items than I was expecting - I really dug the esoteric posters like the phrenology chart, and the assorted minerals and butterfly nick nacks were all dope. I cant complain about the high prices because I have no idea how much money and work go into taxidermy, but I went from a prospective buyer to a sheepish window shopper real quick...

Eclectic collection of minerals, stuffed animals, art, antiques, fossils, and curios. A sign tells you not to touch the skeleton in the wheelchair. What happens if you do? Will it come to life and try to strangle you? In this store I think anything could happen.

This is either the stuff of your dreams... or of your nightmares. Every inch of this place is covered with gloriously gruesome taxidermy, butterflies in cases and skulls with intricate lace patterns. Its weird, wonderful and a little disturbing but in a must visit way. Theres also scientific instruments, plants and mounted animal heads too if your home is missing those!

This place is mind-blowingly quirky.If you need to get a gift for someone who is difficult to buy for, then go here and attain a curii

This store is awesome. I could spend hours in here. everything is interesting. great coffee table books.

What started as a gardening supply store and now ended up as a unique collection of someones peculiar interests. Most people just browse, like walking through a gallery. Mounted heads, jarred (formaldehyded) specimens, rocks, gems, minerals, books. Prices are very reasonable. They even have a class on taxidermy.

What the heck this place is amazing and the staff are kind and sweet. Plus they have cool stuff at prices that don’t kill (and cool stuff at prices that do. Haha). The mouse displays at the entrance are not to be missed but leave you feeling little upset. I hope they re not killing the little guys just. to make displays. Please tell me they are not but them how to be sure? A Greg batch of mummified bats from mink control had come in. Fascinating and also wondering if we should be encouraging not discouraging bat but maybe they were an invasive species displaying an indigenous one? Paxton gate you are cool but please tell us a little bit about the circumstances of the critters death.

Are you looking for a stuffed mouse for that special house warming gift? this is the place. i always take out of town visitors here. the display and items they sell are unique and wonderful

Not as good as the one in Portland. They didn’t have as much in stock, lacked a lot of wet specimens, and they didn’t have any classes available when I visited here (back in February I think).

I love going here to just look around. They always have such interesting stuff from insects to unicorns.Make sure to check out the back nursery.

Amazing carnivorous plants. Cool taxidermy creatures. Super friendly and helpful staff. Wife is dying to go to a workshop here!

Although a bit overpriced, the collection of items here is amazing. They have a wide selection of plants, minerals, books and animal specimens. The staff is very friendly and helpful. This place is a must see if you love the natural sciences.

Awesome shop! I stumbled in by mistake (was looking for the place next door) and fell down the rabbit hole.The manager is knowledgeable about everything in the shop and theres something eclectic for everybody. This place is full of conversation pieces and oddities from beautiful butterflies to creepy artifacts.

Amazing experience thats better than most galleries, with very affordable wares.

I like this place, I used to love this place. Today it was so crowded and stuffy and hot, nobody was moving or buying, it was almost impossible to get from the entrance to the back of the store, and its not a great distance. I just left, hoping their website might be good. Too bad.

Cool store. Even if you dont buy anything

The kind of store out of a Ghibli movie, absolutely whimsical. Heres a tip: the taxidermy and books are hella expensive, but stones and animal parts at the front of the shop are dirt cheap and really really cool. There are various bones and teeth (some drilled so you can wear them!), some fur, awesome seashells and some pretty cheap fossils considering that theyre all millions of years old.

Coolest collection of dead stuff Ive ever seen! From dressed up nice to fossils to butterflies...a must visit once kind of place!

The store is like a natural history museum crossed with a garden shoppe. Magical wonders here aplenty. Awesome plant selection, great books, jewelry, etc.

Taxidermy classes available.Great store to browse.Very simulating in the store because of plants, scents, soaps and incense.Succulents are well displayed and organized.

So interesting. Go here. Unless you’re a vegan, then maybe don’t

Love all the little oddities and knick knacks this store has to offer. If youre looking for something a little more simple, theres plenty of small plants in the back!

Great staff & selection! I will definitely be coming back here!

Hands down one of the coolest stores Ive ever been to. Need some minerals? They got some. Need a taxidermied head of a cougar? Check. Need some old animal bones, or a pelt perhaps? Yep.In the back is a wide range of succulents, which means cactus-y flowers. The staf seems extremely knowledgeable, if not a little chatty. Lots of pics on social pic-sharing sites that come from this place. You can take a picture with a unicorn for crying out loud.Oh, they also have some awesome soaps, books, and other curiosities. This is the kind of store that makes you love a city. It defines an area of town. This store is thriving, and that makes me happy to live in San Francisco.

I bought some test tubes here and admired all the other kooky stuff. The test tubes were A+ good for drinking rum.

Awesome novelty store in the Mission. Great shop for weird, morbid gifts to give your loved ones. Pinned insects, pig fetuses in jars, taxidermied mice dressed like matadors, this place has it all.

Gem of a store. Extensive curated collection of taxidermy, terrariums, and other natural specimens. Paxton Gate feels a bit like all the best parts of a natural history museum, items are hung up for display, but may also be purchased. Of note, this store also holds classes on taxidermy and terrarium making.

Great place to visit! Full of taxidermy and gorgeous plants

Great store. Terrarium making classes are held here as well. The staff is really helpful. Make sure to ask them questions regarding plant choices.

This place is amazing. It has so many curious things, like dried out bats and vermin skeletons.

Fun place to browse and perfect for picking out unusual gifts. They also have a pretty nice plant selection in the back.

I was in awe as soon as I stepped in. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Their bone and insect collection is incredible.

The first time Ive visited Paxton Gate, I knew I had to take my mom here. And when I finally did yesterday, she was all smiles! She was so excited to see the different terrariums, succulents, and charcoal. She was very excited to see charcoal. Were from a small town, and though there are many gardens and nurseries in the area, it wasnt until she came to Paxton Gate where she found the materials she needs for her garden.I came back the week after and got a carnivorous plant for all the fruit flies that happen to invade my apartment. The lady assisting me was really knowledgeable and told me what to do to take care of Severus (the name I chose for my plant).Theres other oddities and knick knacks to look at. Paxton Gate is worth a visit whether you have a green thumb or not.

It has some very interesting selection. But it’s also creepy to watch those “live” creatures on display

Fascinating spot to window shop. Lots of taxidermy, extensive crystal collection and plants (though some looked like they were struggling).

Unique fun store!! I like the airplants displays and make your own in the back. I enjoy the unique rocks and taxidermy in the front. Wonderful books. In general an inspirational storeIf you join the mailing list youll see they do some events for airplant making/care and taxidermy workshops. (Im still bummed i havent gone to them yet, they look great!)

Interesting collection of random dead things

An interesting collection of oddities that cant be found in other stores.

Fantastic collection of unique items. Lovely store!

Beautiful store! Excellent place to get ideas or fill out those last bits of décor.

Best weirdest place there is - buy all your gifts here.

Weird, fun store to walk into while window shopping on Valencia

A terrifying collection of skulls and bones and preserved organisms in glass jars. A giraffe head. A giraffe head! Coyote bones for your home altar.

A weird experience. You can find things that you would not see anywhere else. It is just difficult to describe them

Um its a collector type store. You go here if you collect stuff.