A new shopping complex and museum exhibition space opens in Old Sacramento
A new indoor shopping complex opened in Old Sacramento Friday morning, featuring a variety of shops and an upstairs museum exhibition space.
The Paperworks is a 26,000 square foot mixed-use space at 1115 Front St. and comes from the creative minds of Stage Nine Entertainment, a large pop culture merchandise store.
Troy Carlson, the owner of The Paperworks, said the building was built in 1925 as a paper making company. After the building was abandoned, Carlson said saw an opportunity to revamp the space.
“It has a beautiful architecture of the concrete,” Carlson said. “We really wanted to restore it to its original form, but also give it a modern look and open it up to new businesses.”
Scott Ford is the deputy director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, a nonprofit that assists the region’s businesses. During the opening, he called The Paperworks and Carlson, an embodiment of the “Old Sacramento spirit.” He said the new shopping complex will align itself with the successful historic district.
“Old Sacramento has always been a place that attracts bold thinkers, innovators and risk-takers,” Ford said. “I can’t thank Troy Carlson enough for the bold thinking that he continues to display here. He started with a very small footprint here: a retail store and a love for our community.”
Businesses inside the Paperworks include Wanderland Gift Shop, Dear Sisa Boutique, Carnal Flora, Big VIP Apparel, Wild Sisters Book Co., Ecopress Sacramento, Panoply Fine Art and a Paperworks gift shop.
What is “Death by Natural Causes?”
With the opening of The Paperworks comes the launch of the Death by Natural Causes exhibit on the second floor. The exhibit is in partnership with the Houston Museum of Natural Science and explores the hidden dangers of the natural world, such as poisonous, venomous, or toxic plants and animals.
“We saw that as an opportunity, and we saw this second floor that has been vacant for 75 years,” Carlson said. “We saw the vision.”
The space will be used for rotating exhibitions to expand Sacramento’s existing museum scene, Ford said. Sacramento is currently home to museums such as the Crocker Art Museum, the California State Railroad Museum, the California Museum and the Aerospace Museum of California.
“This really continues to elevate the Sacramento experience for locals,” Ford said. “But also for all the visitors that we welcome to this region from near and far.”
The Death by Natural Causes exhibit explores themes including lethal minerals and elements, animal-related deaths and poisonous plants. The museum has an assortment of taxidermied poisonous bugs, interactive elements and archived texts.
Tickets for the Death by Natural Causes exhibit, which opens June 27, are $20 per person for adults and $16 for children ages 8 to 17. Children must be at least 8 years old to see the exhibit, according to Paperworks’ website. The exhibit operates Mondays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
