A corner store never really closes, and its margins are small. Coolers, restocking and payroll are the recurring pressure points working capital helps with.
Apply Now →A bodega or deli earns a little on a lot of transactions. Cigarettes, lottery and bottled drinks bring people in the door, but the margin on a coffee, a sandwich or a prepared meal is where a store often makes its money. Because margins are slim, a small problem such as a broken cooler or a supplier price increase shows up in the owner's pocket quickly.
Many of these stores are owner-operated and open very long hours, with family members covering shifts. A sole proprietor running a corner store is common, and that is a business type we can work with.
Dairy, drinks, deli meat and prepared foods all depend on cooling. A failed walk-in or reach-in cooler can mean lost product in a day. Replacing one is a sudden, lumpy cost.
Distributors want payment on delivery or on short terms, while shoppers buy a few items at a time. Stocking a wider range, or buying in volume for a better price, ties up cash.
New York's minimum wage in 2026 is $17 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $16 elsewhere in the state, indexed from 2027. For a store with several shifts a day, payroll is a large and predictable bill.
Flat-tops, slicers, steam tables and coffee machines make the prepared-food side possible, and they are what turns a convenience store into a destination.
Some of the items that draw traffic have particular cash dynamics. Products that carry high pass-through costs and low margin use up a lot of cash relative to what they earn. That makes the high-margin parts of a store, such as prepared food and drinks, matter more, and it makes cash reserves important when a distributor or regulatory timeline changes.
Owners who want to shift the mix toward prepared food, fresh produce or a wider grocery range often need new equipment and shelf space before the new items sell.
For illustration only: a corner store wants to add a full deli counter, including a flat-top, a prep refrigerator, a display case and the initial food stock, for about $40,000. The counter should raise its average sale, but only after it is built and customers learn about it. This is a round, invented figure, not a quote.
A neighborhood store has a few predictable pressure points. Rent and utilities come due on the same dates whether the week was busy or not. Distributors deliver on a schedule and expect payment. A hot summer raises drink sales, but also the electric bill for the coolers. A cold snap slows foot traffic, and a nearby road closure can do the same.
Owners often cover these swings by delaying their own pay or stretching supplier terms, neither of which can go on indefinitely. A cushion of working capital lets the store keep paying suppliers on time, which in turn keeps better terms and a reliable supply of the items customers come in for.
Security, insurance and licensing renewals are lumpy too. They tend to arrive as single bills, and a store with thin margins cannot absorb several at once without help.
We fund $25,000 to $5,000,000, and funds can arrive in as little as 24 hours after approval. We consider FICO 500+, use a soft credit pull and do not require tax returns. We ask for about three months of business bank statements. Sole proprietors can apply.
Apply here. The form takes about five minutes.
Yes. Sole proprietors can apply, and ownership structure does not stop you from applying.
Equipment replacement is a common use. State the purpose in your application.
Statements show the cash you deposit. Regular deposits help show business activity.
No. About three months of business bank statements are enough for the application.
$25,000.
Three months of business bank statements and a 5-minute application. FICO 500+ considered. $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →It takes about two minutes and it will not affect your credit score.
No obligation • No impact to your credit score
