SBA loans to variety and general merchandise stores in California
Short answer
SBA's loan file shows 105 loans to variety and general merchandise stores in California since October 2023. None of them went to startups, against 8.1% nationally. 21.0% were lines of credit, against 36.2% nationally.
- SBA loans, Oct 2023 to Jun 2026
- 105
- median loan
- $150,000
- dollars approved
- $26.81M
- went to startups
- 0.0%
These are the 105 SBA 7(a) loans to variety and general merchandise stores in California approved October 2023 to June 2026. Each figure is set against the national figure for the same industry and period. State is where the business is, not where the lender is based. The file lists loans SBA approved, so it shows what lenders have done and not what any lender will do for you.
How California differs from the U.S.
What this means for you. If yours is a new business, lenders in California funded startups less often here than lenders did nationally, so ask early whether a lender funds new businesses.
Startups
None of the 105 loans in California went to startups, where the loan opens the business, against 8.1% nationally.
Lines of credit
21.0% of the loans in California were lines of creditA credit limit you can draw on, repay and draw on again. , against 36.2% nationally.
We compared 9 measures with the national figure for the same period, and these are the 2 that differ clearly. The table compares every measure.
California next to the U.S.
| Measure | California | United States | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry's share of all SBA loans | 0.54% | 0.43% | No clear gap |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $100,000 | No clear gap |
| Middle half of loans | $45,000 to $250,000 | $40,000 to $250,000 | – |
| Startups (the loan opens the business) | 0.0% | 8.1% | Clearly lower |
| In business 2 years or less | 13.3% | 19.0% | No clear gap |
| In business more than 2 years | 81.9% | 68.9% | No clear gap |
| Change of ownership | 4.8% | 4.0% | No clear gap |
| SBA Express | 41.9% | 47.0% | No clear gap |
| Lines of credit | 21.0% | 36.2% | Clearly lower |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | – |
| Median spread over Prime at approval | 3 points over Prime | 3 points over Prime | – |
Clearly higher and clearly lower mark a gap large enough to matter and unlikely to be chance for this many loans. Spread over Prime is the rate at approval minus Prime that day, so it is not today's rate. Rows with a dash are shown for reference.
Who lends in California
The 5 lenders below made 64 of the 105 loans approved October 2023 to June 2026, or 61.0%. A lender is listed when it has 5 or more of them, five at most.
| Lender | Loans | Share here | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank | 30 | 28.6% | 10.4% |
| Lendistry SBLC, LLC | 13 | 12.4% | 7.0% |
| Northeast Bank (Portland, ME) | 8 | 7.6% | Not in top 5 |
| Newtek Bank | 7 | 6.7% | Not in top 5 |
| Celtic Bank | 6 | 5.7% | 5.1% |
Share here is the lender's share of the loans in this state. U.S. share is its share of all loans to this industry nationally. Not in top 5 means it is not one of the five lenders with the most loans to the industry.
Variety and general merchandise stores in other states
Other states where these loans differ clearly from the national pattern, most loans first.
More industries in California
Other industries in California with a clear difference from the national pattern, most loans first.
| Industry | Loans since October 2019 |
|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurants | 1,924 |
| Fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants | 1,330 |
| Dental practices | 694 |
| Plumbing and HVAC companies | 639 |
| Gyms, fitness studios and recreational sports centers | 632 |
| Home remodeling contractors | 621 |
| Auto repair shops | 618 |
| Local trucking companies | 616 |
How to read this
Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Industry is the NAICS code recorded on each loan. Location is the borrower's address in the file. Loans are those approved October 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. SBA's fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30. Each figure is set against the national figure for the same period. A gap is called clear when it is large enough to matter and unlikely to be chance for this many loans. A comparison with no clear gap in the loans is not published. Express counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans SBA's file flags as revolving. How we build these pages.
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Cite this page: SBA loans to variety and general merchandise stores in California. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/all-other-general-merchandise-retailers/california/
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