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    Paxton Gate

    4.4 (525 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Services - Paxton Gate

    Taxidermy

    Paxton Gate Photos

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    Isabel L.

    Pretty cool spot! Never heard of it before, I guess it's a franchise since there's some of these also in Oregon. So many interesting things to see that it can feel like you can spend hours here trying to decide what you want to buy. Aside from their taxidermy they're also a plant shop. They hold events here where the only Taxidermist in the Bay comes and teaches classes on taxidermy! The staff was really friendly, genuinely seem like they enjoy working there which made my shopping experience a pleasant one. The location is great one for such a fun store like this, I'd definitely come back.

    Back to the Lab
    Juan V.

    Have you ever wonder what happened to the remains of the food you ate at a restaurant? This could have happened at the farm where the cow you are eating almost became a total waste. The good news there is an afterlife which means an aftermarket for these inedible skull leftovers. You can think of it as recycling animal body parts. On a Summer stroll in the urban habitat of the Mission in San Francisco I stepped into on Valencia street into what I would describe somewhat of taxidermy museum / plant garden inside Paxton Gate. Growing up in the Mission it was more of a concrete jungle back in the days . The Police Station on 17th street and Valencia is there for a reason . No one would walk willy-nilly on Valencia street at night in the past because people use to prey on strangers and tourists. Glad things did changed today around and on Valencia street . Although there is a BeeHive a few doors where party animals swarm during the night but the day time belongs to dead animal viewing at Paxton Gate. Once inside Paxton Gate I saw animal heads hung up on the wall displayed like hunting trophies . You will find a Taxidermy of an Alligator head and also a Raccoon in a Trash Can Taxidermy ( I wonder if they are feasting during the trash strike). They also have crystals inside to get rid of the bad vibes in SF. In the back of Paxton Gate you find a garden with lots of plants. This place is a great place to enjoy the skulls of Grateful Dead animals on the shelves and in the back the energy of the living plants is electric. The only animals that remain on the same block on Valencia street are the party animals at night. Paxton Gate is fun place and provides good service the dead animals you will find some were social animals and some were lone wolves and some cats were" hermits "all hung up on walls for the public to view as the preserved animals "epidermis" and which was stuffed by the professional "Taxidermists" In the past Valencia street and the surrounding streets in San Francisco would heat up and also get cold at night like a "Thermos" but today's Valencia street improvements has been enormous seeing more growth and more restaurants with the city issuing more "business permits"

    Animal teeth
    Taylor M.

    My nephew visits every summer and this is one of his favorites places to go. The place is very tactile and visually stimulating with all of the unique items. For a kid that loves animals and insects, this is a must stop-in. I even found a few things for me.

    Beautiful plant selection
    Tammy A.

    Beautiful store with so many fun, beautiful and odd things to look at! Taxidermy, plants and funky gift items! They also offer taxidermy classes which sounds super fun!

    Paul H.

    Visiting this place is always an interesting. Primarily, a taxidermy/oddities based operation, from my observation, they also have many plants, books and other curiosities. So much to look at, you could spend quite sometime trying to take it all in. I hadn't been inside a few years and decided to stop bye. I was directed to checkout the human skeleton (skulls, spinal bones, et al) remains that were on display in a small case). Would recommend paying this place a visit if you are strolling on Valencia street taking in the many sights, sounds, bars and restaurants.

    Ang V.

    I loved loved loved exploring this store! They have so many freakishly cool stuff! The workers were so friendly. I asked one of them if the animals and bones they sell were real, feeling stupid I even asked, and she made me feel better saying that it was a perfectly valid question. I've never been to a store that sold taxidermy and I always assumed that they would be over 5k but it was "oddly affordable". Lots of Knick knacks, books, jewelry, and they even have a plant section in the back. I could spend hours here. A gem in the mission district, that's for sure!

    Spiders and beetles!

    Treasure trove of a store with everything from strange taxidermy to geodes and other rocks to plants to books to jewelry. It's a very distinctive place to shop. There's no other store like it in San Francisco. Their selection of rocks and animal bones is vast. Nice game section for young people and just something for everyone. I love their tiny plants and planters, too.

    Discoloration upon following store's instructions for butterfly wing preservation
    Liam S.

    UPDATE: 1 Week Later! Paxton Gate exemplifies excellent care for their customers and supports their artistic endeavors. A few weeks ago I bought a pair of beautiful blue morpho butterfly wings from Paxton Gate with the intention of preserving them for crafting. The enthusiastic insect keeper recommended I cover them in two layers of resin to both preserve and strengthen them. However, the beautiful iridescent colors of the wing did not react well to the resin. I returned to Paxton Gate for support, hoping to be heard, but the shopkeeper did not seem to care about my plight. She made it feel like it was all my fault, when I was hoping for some understanding, reconciliation or compromise. Sean from Paxton Gate reached out to me to offer an explanation, apology, and to offer some more wings to attempt to preserve them again, this time with proper technique. Thank you Sean for looking out for your customers! Your curiosity keepers, your bug enthusiasts, your weirdos and artists. We all appreciate your shop so much. There's nothing like it. That you would reach out to make amends means a lot to me and many others. Now I just have to wait for another super rare perfectly blue morpho top right jumbo wing to sustainably appear next year then I'll be all set!

    Mummified baby pig

    This place is amazing, the taxidermy and items you find here are so unique and all the employees are incredibly nice, helpful and accommodating. They are very knowledgeable and let you hold certain things to have a better view or even take a picture

    Chelsea C.

    its always fun and interesting browsing/shopping in here. the workers are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about these unique pieces. thank you so much to the pink-haired girl (so sorry i didnt catch your name!) at the insect/butterfly display counter and for indulging us with your impressive knowledge and patience when we wanted to take a closer look at everything while being gracious enough to educate us at the same time. So excited to add this guy to my collection!

    Outside
    Lisa X.

    Been here many years before and didn't really like this place. Recently walked by with a friend and she wanted to go in again. She's been here before too. Inside - Lots of taxidermy covering the wall. I felt sadness. Some part of the store I felt like there are something creepy here. Don't know what. I told my friend I will wait for her outside.

    A carved cow head... of course.
    Bob K.

    Pretty cool / unique curiosity store in the Mission with everything from crystals to animal bones / skulls to art to a really great plant room in the back. So much to look at and really great for unique gifts or just to take in the randomness.

    Beautiful framed butterfly.
    Laura P.

    Oh my sweet satan do I love this store. The staff was INCREDIBLY friendly and so accommodating. Helped with everything. We came here to get me a birthday present (a skull from my boyfriend) and although they didn't have the bat skeleton that I was originally looking for we settled on an impala skull with horns. It wasn't cheap but for what I got, in my opinion, it's well worth it. We also picked up a plant and a framed butterfly. So so so beautiful and I can't stress enough how WONDERFUL the staff was. We'll be returning very soon for a few smaller skulls like a couple of raccoon skulls and a fox skull. So excited to go back!

    On the walls

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    10 months ago

    This is one of the most unique and curious shops in SF. It's my absolute favorite place for finding an unusual gift or just exploring

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    2 years ago

    Very interesting store! Unexpected inventory and there's something to discover each way you turn! Staff is informative and helpful.

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    Review Highlights - Paxton Gate

    It's so very San Francisco, and is nestled in the midst of a very fascinating district there on Valencia.

    Mentioned in 36 reviews

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    I have purchased several plants as gifts and for myself over the years. The plants have done well…read more The selection is pretty good. There are some interesting succulents to pick from. The owner is very knowledgeable about what plants need. The trees look very interesting but wouldn't fit in my apartment. I think they are good deals and it is nice supporting local business.

    I bought a couple of plants from this place a couple of years ago. I remember the service was…read moreawesome and they only let me leave with stuff. I was able to keep alive, except for a string of pearls, but anybody that deals with Plants knows how those can go. (It's user error if they die... it's no reflection on the plant or the store... I might even try again with one someday.) Anyhow, the plants I purchased there a couple of years ago are all still thriving and doing so much better than most of the other plants I have. I'm assuming they had a great base to start with and also amazing soil quality in terms of drainage and nutrition. They got so healthy and big that two of them took a tumble from the ceiling where they were hanging because they got so heavy. I think I'm going to have to take a visit to the store to find out what kind of magic they work and see if they'll give me any hints or tips and if I happen to end up with yet another new plant I won't regret it but I'll blame them when my partner gives me side eye after swearing that I'm only getting new plants by swapping cuttings with other crazy people like me. Including some pictures of my happy babies. The last photo, of course, is of the two that took a flight last night and are waiting for me to give them some new soil and possibly repot them.

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    I am new in SFO and i am getting married at the city hall. It was not practical to pay for florist…read moreif your ceremony os just 5mins. So i went to flower mart and I met this amazing man at repetto! He gave us advice about what to get for my bouquet but way more than that i appreciate the marriage advice he gave it was so sincere & real. Furthermore, he gave me discount - so i created my bouquet with so much love and a happy heart! Thank you sooo much to your wonderful looking fresh flowers..i will always come back here & highly recommended kathie & them at half moon bay :)

    Firstly they advertise $8/dozen for roses but when you go inside the stale ones are $8/dozen and…read morethe decent ones are $15/dozen. And they are all inside a large fridge area. Then they charge 10c for flower food, which should have been free. When I asked to add it she had already swiped the card and I didn't have a dime. Made me search my purse and my husbands purse for a dime. Suggested in the meantime that I could just change the water instead and that would work too. Finally gave it for free. Finally they add extra $0.75 or so for using card. It's not mentioned anywhere and I was like seriously? Till I see my bill they don't say anything. Apparently the prices marked are cash price. We turned around to check out this place after we saw the sign "you missed $8/dozen roses". Traffic sucks in this one lane zone so getting back to our path was a pain. Overall I would never go back to this place. Prices, quality and service were all subpar.

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