A store can call or use the form; Larkwood Lenders forwards the request to funding partners, who set any terms.
Four invented store cases: a jewelry store's display cases and safe, a shoe store's full size run, a gift shop's reorders on a credit line, and a consignment store buying a closing shop's fixtures and stock on fixed payments. Store counts come from the 2023 County Business Patterns for Obion County, TN, plus one ZIP 38261 figure; the dollar cases are invented.
At a glance
- Retail trade employers, Obion County, TN
124 establishments (CBP 2023)
- Retail trade payroll, Obion County, TN
$47.7 million (CBP 2023)
- Clothing and clothing accessories stores, Obion County, TN
13 establishments (CBP 2023)
- Retail trade employers with a ZIP 38261 address
92 (ZBP 2023)
Before a Union City, TN Store Borrows: Sorting Stock, Fixtures and Timing Costs
Retail trade had more employer establishments than any other sector in Obion County, TN in 2023: 124 stores, with 1,497 paid employees and $47.7 million in annual payroll (County Business Patterns). Stores with a staff under five accounted for 56 of the 124 (45.2%). Clothing and clothing accessories stores, the code that also holds shoe and jewelry stores, came to 13.
The ZIP Code Business Patterns file gives ZIP 38261 its own retail count: 92 employer establishments in 2023.
Separately, the 2024 Nonemployer Statistics list 183 retail businesses in Obion County, TN that have no paid employees.
Whatever the size of the store, the first sort is by what the cost is. Fixtures that stay on the floor for years point to equipment financing. Stock that sells through in weeks or months points to inventory financing, a short loan, or a draw on a line of credit. A purchase that mixes both, such as another shop's fixtures together with its stock, can sit on one fixed-payment loan.
Business Loans for Retail, Case One: Display Cases and a Safe at an Obion County, TN Jewelry Store
In this invented example, a jewelry store prices four lighted display cases at $14,850 and a floor safe at $6,850, $21,700 in all. On an equipment loan at 10.35% over 48 months, the payment is $554.02; 48 payments come to $26,592.96, so $4,892.96 is interest.
The cases and the safe are the collateral, so the note is tied to things the store keeps for years. The jewelry that goes into the cases is a separate cost: it turns over, and a stock purchase can sit on a line or on inventory financing instead, with a shorter schedule.
- A dealer quote that lists each case and the safe by model
- Several recent months of bank statements, so card batches and cash deposits can be traced
- Any lease or loan already tied to store equipment
- How long the store has been open under its current owner
When a Union City, TN Shoe Store Uses Business Loans for Retail Stock: a Full Size Run
A shoe store that adds a brand may have to take a full size run up front: every size and width in each style, paid before any pair sells. That is stock, so it belongs on a schedule that ends around the time the run has sold through.
In this invented example, the run costs $12,600. A short loan at 12.35% over 6 months has a payment of $2,176.29; the six payments total $13,057.74, of which $457.74 is interest.
Inventory financing is the other route for the same order: a partner may advance part of the purchase on the strength of the invoice and take payment as the stock sells. Either way, the store's own sales history for comparable brands is what shows the run can pay for itself.
A Credit Line Between Supplier Statements: Business Loans for Retail at a Union City, TN Gift Shop
A gift shop that reorders from a handful of suppliers each month may prefer a line of credit to a new loan per order. The shop draws when an invoice is due and pays the draw down as the goods sell, then draws again.
In this invented example, the line has an $18,000 limit at 13.45%. A $3,900 reorder drawn for 26 days costs $37.37 in interest; a $5,200 reorder drawn for 41 days costs $78.56.
Shops with a large share of card sales may be offered a merchant cash advance too. It is not a loan: a funding source buys part of future card sales and collects a share of each day's card receipts until a fixed total is reached, so paying early does not lower the cost the way it does on a line. A sporting goods store's league order, gondolas and register upgrade are worked through in the store restocking article.
Fixed Payments on a Closing Shop's Fixtures and Stock: a Business Loans for Retail Example From Obion County, TN
When another shop closes, its fixtures and stock may be offered as one lot. A consignment store buying that lot has a mixed purchase: racks and counters that last, and goods that sell through. A term loan with fixed payments can carry both.
| Term | Monthly payment | Total of payments | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 months | $1,797.08 | $43,129.92 | $4,629.92 |
| 36 months | $1,263.18 | $45,474.48 | $6,974.48 |
| 48 months | $997.86 | $47,897.28 | $9,397.28 |
The 48-month row is $799.22 a month lighter than the 24-month row and carries $4,767.36 more interest. The stock part of the lot is gone long before month 48, so a store that can carry the 24- or 36-month payment keeps the debt closer to the life of what it bought.
More Union City, TN trades are on the industries overview, and local figures for the office ZIP are on the Union City, TN page.
By Larkwood Lenders · Updated
