Nature Made Accessible For Local Movie Productions Thanks To Tulsa Taxidermy Shop

A unique Tulsa shop is renting out some of their taxidermy for movies and TV shows being filmed in town. They said they are thrilled their shop is not just surviving the pandemic but thriving through it.

"Black Moth has really become a safe haven for people who are interested in nature and want to explore that. We make it accessible, affordable. It is not weird. It is not creepy- it is interesting, and it is a part of life," said Black Moth Owner Maris Blanchard. 

Bones, crystals, minerals, taxidermy- you can find it all at Black Moth in Tulsa.

"My great-grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee Indian so she and my grandmother used to take us out into the woods, and we would find feathers and bones,” Blanchard said. “I was always taught that it was a gift and that it goes into your collection.” 

Blanchard said she started learning about taxidermy when she was seven years old. Her passion for nature kept evolving over the years and now, she has a business that allows her to share that passion with her community. 

"We are a natural history store that focuses on education," said Blanchard. "Everything is one-of-a-kind, everything is real, and we go through extensive lengths to make sure that everything is ethically sourced - that means nothing has been killed to be in the store."

People come into the store because they love nature or maybe they want to learn. Some are looking for rare pieces and lately that staff at Black Moth has been renting out props for movies and TV shows filmed in town including Reservation Dogs, The Bygone and Unplugging. 

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"They want real things that are authentic in the movie and they come to us for that," said Blanchard. 

The front of the store is the retail space, the back is full of items waiting to be cleaned. They also teach classes on insect pinning, terrarium building, small taxidermy and they even do birthday parties.

"We do anything and everything, but we want to teach others how to do this and make it accessible," said Maris, "We are totally focused on education no matter what age they are."