This page explains inventory financing for Lake County, Indiana stores, bars and suppliers: what it covers, how it is secured, and how it compares with a credit line. Stock requests go through Fieldshore Loans to funding partners, which decide on approval, rates and terms.
At a glance
- Retail trade
Retail trade in Lake County, IN: 1,521 employer establishments, the most of any sector (CBP 2023)
- Beer, wine and liquor stores
Beer, wine and liquor stores in Lake County, IN: 79 employers (CBP 2023)
- Grocery stores (NAICS 4451)
Grocery stores in Lake County, IN, convenience stores included: 109 employers (CBP 2023)
- Building material and garden dealers
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers in Lake County, IN: 88 employers (CBP 2023)
How to Use a Business Loan to Buy Inventory: Bar Stock, Lumber and Coffee Beans
A business loan used for inventory works well when the loan's schedule matches the time the stock takes to sell. Bar stock that turns in weeks, lumber that sits on a yard for a building project and coffee beans that are roasted and sold in a few days all have different clocks.
- Price the order and the supplier's payment terms.
- Estimate how many weeks the stock will take to sell, from your own sales history.
- Match the funding's payoff to that period, so the loan is paid from the stock it bought.
- Keep the margin in view: interest and fees come out of the profit on the goods.
Types of Inventory Financing for Crown Point, IN Dental Practices
Inventory financing comes in a few forms. An inventory loan is a set sum for a specific order, secured by the goods. An inventory line of credit lets a business draw against its stock as it buys. Floor plan financing, used by dealers, funds individual units that are paid off when each one sells. Supplier terms, such as net-30 or net-60, are a form of inventory credit too.
A dental practice carries supplies rather than retail stock: impression materials, disposables and sterilization supplies. Those orders are usually smaller and steadier, so a practice is more likely to cover them from a line of credit than from a dedicated inventory loan. In Lake County, IN, County Business Patterns counted 191 offices of dentists with paid staff for 2023.
Business Line of Credit for Inventory in Crown Point, IN: Salon Retail Product and Gym Supplements
A salon that sells hair care product and a gym that sells supplements both carry retail stock alongside their main service. A line of credit lets the owner reorder product when it runs low and pay the balance down from sales, without a new request for each order.
Beauty salons had 142 employer establishments in Lake County, IN in 2023, and fitness and recreational sports centers had 53 (County Business Patterns). Salon business loans covers chair additions and suite renovations as well as retail product.
Loan to Purchase Inventory When a Lake County, IN Gym Stocks Supplements and Apparel
A gym that adds a supplement shelf or branded apparel is buying stock that may sit longer than food or bar stock. A loan to purchase inventory in that case should be modest relative to the gym's monthly membership income, so the stock does not become a cost the dues have to carry.
Gym business loans looks at equipment replacement and studio renovations, which are usually larger costs than retail stock.
Stock That Sits Versus Stock That Turns: Pricing an Inventory Loan in Lake County, IN
Stock that sells within weeks suits a line of credit: the balance drops as sales come in, and interest is charged only for the days the money is out. Stock that sits for months, such as a large lumber order or a furniture buy, suits a fixed inventory loan whose schedule matches the selling period.
Partners reviewing an inventory request often look at the business's inventory turnover: how many times a year stock is sold and replaced. A point-of-sale report or an inventory aging report is the clearest evidence.
Lake County, IN Stores and Shelves in the Census Counts
Retail trade had 1,521 employer establishments in Lake County, IN in 2023, the most of any sector, with 24,256 paid employees and $841.4 million in payroll (County Business Patterns). Within retail, the county had 109 grocery stores (a count that includes 23 convenience stores), 79 beer, wine and liquor stores, 143 clothing and clothing accessories stores, and 88 building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers.
Wholesale trade, the suppliers behind many of these stores, had 432 employer establishments in the county. Grocery store loans and business loans for retail go deeper into each kind of store.
An Invented Liquor Store Order, Financed Two Ways
Illustration only, invented figures: a liquor store orders $30,000 of stock that it expects to sell evenly over three months. As a six-month inventory loan at an annual rate of 12%, the payment is about $5,176 a month and the interest totals about $1,059 (our arithmetic, standard amortization).
Drawn on a line of credit at the same annual rate of 12% and paid down by $10,000 at the end of each month as the stock sells, the balance is $30,000, then $20,000, then $10,000, and the interest totals about $600 (our arithmetic, one month of interest on each balance). The line costs less in interest here because the balance falls as the bottles sell; the loan keeps a fixed payment for six months even though the stock is gone in three.
Fees change the picture, so compare both options by total dollar cost. A store whose stock sells slower than planned may prefer the fixed schedule of the loan.
For other ways to fund stock, see the six types side by side; for trades that carry stock, the trade pages, including contractors with equipment stock and restaurants with food orders; and county and ZIP counts for Crown Point, IN.
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