Can I fund a seasonal inventory buy?

Yes. Paying for stock ahead of a season is a common use of working capital.

I run a one-person boutique. Can I apply?

Yes. Sole proprietors can apply.

Is funding available for a second location?

A second location is a common use. Describe the lease, build-out and opening inventory on your application.

What if my sales are mostly online?

You can still apply. Describe how your business account moves and what you plan to use the funds for.

How soon could I receive funds?

In as little as 24 hours after approval.

Funding for Boutiques and Apparel Retailers in Texas

You buy the season months before it arrives

An apparel boutique works on a calendar that runs ahead of the weather. Merchandise for one season is chosen and ordered while the previous season is still being marked down. Market trips, minimum order quantities, shipping and tags all cost money before a single piece is on the rack. When the goods arrive, the cash they cost has been gone for weeks.

Order. A deposit or full payment goes to the vendor, often on tight terms for a new account.
Receive and tag. Freight, hangers, fixtures and labor add to the cost.
Sell at full price. The first few weeks of a season carry the margin.
Mark down. Slow styles are discounted, which turns inventory into cash at a lower return.
Reorder. The cycle starts again before the last one has fully paid for itself.

Where a boutique feels the squeeze

The pinch comes in the overlap. The new season's goods are paid for while the last season's unsold stock is still on the shelf, and a store that sells slowly in a bad month has little room to buy well for the next. A strong buy is a cash decision as much as a taste decision.

For illustration, with round numbers: a boutique orders $24,000 of fall merchandise, pays $3,000 in freight and fixtures, and keeps $12,000 of last season's stock on hand at the same time. That is about $39,000 tied up in inventory before the first fall sale. If a slow summer leaves the account thin, the owner may have to choose between a smaller buy and a fuller one. These numbers are an explanation, not our terms or a typical result.

Other reasons owners ask for working capital

Move	Why it costs cash first
Opening a second boutique	Lease deposit, fixtures, opening inventory and a full staff before the first sale
Building an online store	Photography, platform costs and shipping materials before the first order
Remodeling the shop	The store may close or lose traffic while the work is done
Adding a new brand or category	Minimum orders and displays come before proven demand
Holiday build-up	Extra stock and seasonal staff are paid for before the peak weeks

Buying smaller, buying better, or buying more

A boutique owner usually has three choices when cash is tight. Buy fewer styles and risk running out of what sells. Buy the same amount and stretch vendor payments. Or find outside cash so the buy matches the plan. None is free: a thin buy can cost sales, late vendor payments can cost terms, and outside cash has a price of its own.

The question to answer before you apply is whether the extra stock is likely to turn into sales within a season. If it is a proven category with returning customers, the case is stronger. If it is an untested direction, it is worth testing smaller first.

Applying

Funding runs from $25,000 to $5,000,000, and funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours. The application takes about five minutes and uses a soft credit pull. Sole proprietors can apply, which covers many single-owner boutiques.