Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations Â»

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places Â»
Mosaic in Beachfront Park.
Tsunami Walking Tour
Madam Yoko’s gravesite.
Madam Yoko’s Grave
Garden path.
Garden of the Presidential Mansion
Anabaptist Cages
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Golden Gate Bridge as seen from the Marin Headlands at sunrise.
Listener Stories of Leaving Home: From San Francisco to Japan
Aerial view of Bell Labs Holmdel
How the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex Inspired ‘Severance’
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Portland Paxton Gate PDX

Paxton Gate PDX

Entering this curiosity shop is like stepping into a mad scientist's lab.

Portland, Oregon

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Paxton Gate PDX.  
2 headed calf at Paxon Gate   BuzzBlackSmith / Atlas Obscura User
Paxton Gate PDX.  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Visiting this eclectic shop is a bit like walking into a natural history museum or a mad scientist’s lab with a seemingly endless treasure trove of oddities for the curious at heart.

Named for Sir Joseph Paxton, a celebrated English horticulturist and revolutionary modular architect, this small store lives up to its esoteric namesake. First launched in San Francisco’s historic Mission District, Paxton Gate’s Portland location has evolved into an ever-changing exhibition of ethically sourced life, death, and natural history.

While offerings vary from week to week as merchandise comes and goes, you might see a cobra-mimicking moth with a 12-inch wingspan from Java, Indonesia, then turn your head 90 degrees only to come face to face with a grinning antique human skull from a decommissioned medical cadaver. Around the corner, a smoky-purple amethyst crystal from deep within Brandberg Mountain, Namibia, rests just feet below an antique wall mount of an Alpine Ibex whose cloven hooves once deftly navigated near-vertical rock faces in the European Alps. 

The store’s compact size only adds to the sense of wonder as you explore every shelf, case, and cabinet in this curiosity-packed mini-museum.

Related Tags

Shops Collections

Know Before You Go

The store is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A second location has opened at 811 NW 23rd Ave, Portland.

Community Contributors

Edited By

angied, BuzzBlackSmith

  • angied
  • BuzzBlackSmith

Published

April 17, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Paxton Gate PDX
4204 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, Oregon, 97217
United States
45.553933, -122.675302
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Flutter

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Wishing Tree

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Albina Soul Walk

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portland

Portland

Oregon

Places 61
Stories 12

Nearby Places

Flutter

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Wishing Tree

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Albina Soul Walk

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portland

Portland

Oregon

Places 61
Stories 12

Related Places

  • Wilderness, South Africa

    Smokkelhuis

    A vast and varied antique and vintage collection that borders on museum status.

  • Pen Hospital

    Kolkata, India

    Pen Hospital

    For more than 70 years, this small shop has been a go-to for Kolkata's fountain pen connoisseurs and collectors.

  • Maps in the Sanctum Obscura.

    Hartford, Connecticut

    Curioporium

    A journey through a curious collection of oddities and wonder.

  • Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective

    New Orleans, Louisiana

    Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective

    This macabre shop, filled with art, oddities, and taxidermy is hidden in the heart of the French Quarter.

  • The Terrorium Shop

    Denver, Colorado

    The Terrorium Shop

    A beautiful combination of living flora with preserved bones covers the shelves of this shop.

  • ReGEN Haus

    Fillmore, California

    ReGEN Haus

    An entertaining journey through the odd and strange awaits visitors to this shop.

  • Barn Attic

    Harleysville, Pennsylvania

    Barn Attic

    Inside this 150-year-old barn turned antique shop is a vast array of items for curios hunters.

  • Wacko Strorefeont

    Los Angeles, California

    Soap Plant / Wacko

    An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.