sbaexpress.loans is an independently owned and operated website and has no government affiliation. We are not the Small Business Administration and are not a lender. If you are trying to reach the SBA click here to be redirected.

SBA loans for specialty retail shops under the 2017 NAICS code

Short answer

From FY2023, SBA's loan file lists specialty retail shops under 2022 NAICS code 459999. Under code 453998, SBA approved 604 loans from October 2019 to June 2026, with a median of $150,000. Source: SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026.

SBA loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
604
Median loan
$150,000
Median spread over Prime
Prime + 2.5
Loans since Oct 2023
16

These figures come from SBA's public loan file for the 7(a) program, which includes SBA Express. They cover NAICS 453998, All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores). The loans were approved from October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026. The file lists approvals only, so it shows what lenders funded, not who applied or who was turned down.

The 2022 NAICS change

From FY2023, lenders file specialty retail shops under 2022 NAICS code 459999.

NAICS codes were revised in 2022. SBA's loan file shows lenders moving these businesses from 2017 code 453998 to NAICS 459999, All other miscellaneous retailers during FY2022 and FY2023. The fall in loans under 453998 is that change of code, not a fall in lending to specialty retail shops.

SBA loans by fiscal year under each code, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
Fiscal yearNAICS 453998 (2017)NAICS 459999 (2022)Codes together
FY20201730173
FY2021258Fewer than 5259 to 262
FY2022132104236
FY202325292317
FY202412377389
FY2025Fewer than 5358359 to 362
FY2026 (to June 30)0135135

A count of 1 to 4 loans shows as Fewer than 5, so a total that includes one is shown as a range. The last column adds the codes shown. Some businesses in this trade may be filed under other codes.

What lenders check

Each lender sets its own checklist. SBA sets the basic eligibility tests.

A lender reviewing a loan to specialty retail shops looks at the business's numbers and these items for the trade:

  • Whether lines offset each other across the year, such as pool chemicals in summer and hot tubs in the cooler months
  • Property insurance terms on combustible or chemical stock, since fireworks and pool chemicals can raise premiums or narrow coverage
  • School, league and corporate award contracts, which bring batch orders with set deadlines

What SBA sets and what the lender sets

Under SOP 50 10 8.1, SBA sets no minimum credit score; the lender applies its own credit standards. To qualify, a business must be an operating, for-profit business located in the United States that is small under SBA size standards and can show a need for the credit. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.100.

Common uses of the money

Businesses like these use SBA loans for:

  • Tent or stand setup, signage and licensing for a seasonal fireworks location
  • A pool water-testing counter and test-kit stock that bring customers in every week of the season
  • A delivery truck with a lift for moving hot tubs and spas to customers' homes

The cash cycle

Pool chemicals are bought ahead of spring and sold through summer, while hot tubs sell best in the cooler months. Fireworks stock is bought for a few holiday weeks, and leftover product has to be stored until the next season.

Collateral

Security is pool and spa stock plus the delivery lift, with fireworks stock counted cautiously because storage is regulated.

SBA collateral and guarantee rules

On an SBA Express loan of $50,000 or less, collateral is not required. Above that, the lender may use its own collateral policies for similar non-SBA loans. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, a loan request must not be declined solely because collateral is inadequate.

Every owner of 20% or more of the business must give an unlimited personal guaranteeYour promise to repay the loan yourself if the business cannot. . Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. B.3; App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); 13 CFR § 120.160(a).

How much they borrow

80% of these loans were $500,000 or less, the range where SBA Express is available.

Share of 604 loans by size, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
  • $50,000 or less29%
  • $50,001 to $150,00022%
  • $150,001 to $350,00024%
  • $350,001 to $500,0005.3%
  • $500,001 to $1,000,0009.1%
  • $1,000,001 to $2,000,0006.1%
  • Over $2,000,0004.8%

Bars show each band's share of the loans.

The median loan was $150,000, smaller than the $200,000 median for all SBA 7(a) loans. Half of the loans fell between $50,000 and $358,450. The most common size band was $50,000 or less.

By business age, 50% had operated for more than 2 years and 17% for 2 years or less. 13% were startups opening with the loan, and 16% paid for a change of ownership.

What they paid

SBA approved 16 loans to these businesses since October 2023. Recent loans that few give no rate of their own, so these figures cover October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026.

Prime + 2.5Median spread over Prime
Prime + 2.6All industries, median spread

The median spread across 604 approvals was Prime plus 2.5 percentage points, against Prime plus 2.6 percentage points for all industries. A spread is measured against Prime on the approval date, which makes loans from different years comparable. It is not today's rate.

SBA's maximum rate today

SBA caps a variable rate by loan size. For a loan of $50,001 to $250,000, the cap is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points. The typical loan here, $150,000, is in that range. With Prime at 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026, the maximum is 13.00% today. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395); 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2).

How the money comes

48% of the loans went through SBA Express and 31% were lines of credit. The median term was 10 years.

47.8%Through SBA Express
30.6%Lines of credit
10 yearsMedian term

Across all industries, 38.5% of loans went through SBA Express and 27% were lines of credit. Express counts here include Export Express.

SBA Express in brief

An SBA Express loan can be as large as $500,000, and SBA guarantees 50% of it. On an Express loan, the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review. SBA's procedures also say only a lender with SBA Express authority can make one. An SBA Express line of credit can run 10 years, including any term-out period. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); App. 16, Para. B.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125); App. 17, Para. B.3.

The median term was 10 years (120 months). For working capital, SBA's maximum term is 10 years. For equipment, it is 10 years, or up to 15 years if the IRS asset class useful life supports it. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 17, Para. A.1 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390).

Who lends

The Huntington National Bank made the most loans, 94 of 604 (16%).

Largest lenders by loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
LenderTypeLoansShare of loans
The Huntington National BankBank9415.6%
U.S. BankBank355.8%
Wells Fargo BankBank335.5%
M&T BankBank244.0%
TD BankBank213.5%

Lenders are ranked by loans and listed only when they made 5 or more. Janover Capital LLC does not represent these lenders, and a lender's past loans do not describe its current credit policy.

See every lender on the SBA Express lenders page.

Where the loans are

California had the most loans, 45 of 604 (7.5%).

Top states by loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
StateLoansShare of loans
California457.5%
Ohio396.5%
Michigan345.6%
Texas345.6%
Minnesota335.5%

Location is the state of the business, not of the lender.

Compare every state on SBA loans by state.

How often these loans went bad

4.6% of 563 seasoned loans were charged off, above the 3.6% rate for all SBA 7(a) loans.

563Seasoned loans
4.6%Charged off, by loans
0.7%Charged off, by dollars
3.6%All industries, by loans

26 of the 563 loans approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022 were charged offThe lender wrote the loan off as a loss because it was not being repaid. by June 30, 2026. By dollars, 0.7% of the approved amount was charged off.

How we measure this

A seasoned loan is one approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022. Newer loans have not had time to go bad, so they are left out. Charged off means the lender wrote the loan off as a loss, shown as status CHGOFF in SBA's file on June 30, 2026. The rate is charged-off loans divided by seasoned loans. This describes what happened to approved loans. It says nothing about whether an application will be approved.

A payment example

Payment on a typical loan
ItemExample
Loan amount$150,000, the median
Term10 years (120 months), the median
Rate10.25%, the national median at approval
Monthly payment$2,003
Total interest over the term$90,370

The example uses the median loan and the median term. These businesses have too few recent loans for their own median rate, so it uses the national median at approval, 10.25%. It covers principal and interest only, and it assumes the loan runs the full term. It leaves out fees, including the SBA guaranty feeA fee SBA charges on the guaranteed part of a loan. The lender pays it and may pass it to you. Full definition.

On a variable-rate loan, a 1 percentage point move in Prime changes this payment by about $84 a month. Prime is 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026. For a payment at today's rate, use the SBA Express payment calculator.

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. This page covers NAICS 453998, All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores). Express share counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans the file marks as revolving. The median rate is the initial rate on loans with a rate on file. The spread is that rate minus Prime on the approval date, for variable-rate loans only. How we build these pages.

Ask lending partners about your loan

Tell us the amount you need and what it is for. We refer you to lenders that may fund businesses like yours, and it costs you nothing.

Janover Capital LLC is not a lender and is not the SBA. The lender makes the credit decision. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. Advertiser disclosure.

Get financing