Liquor Store Feasibility Study in Oklahoma

Tulsa-heavy and a thin median

Oklahoma liquor store lending is small in ticket and concentrated in Tulsa County. SBA approved 51 approvals for Oklahoma liquor retail across FY2017 to FY2026, worth $22.0 million, and the median of $260,000 is 0.58x the national class median. Tulsa County alone has 20 loans, Oklahoma County 10, and Garfield and Payne 3 each. The location quotient is 0.90x, the class sits 13 of 39 within Oklahoma's ranking, and Oklahoma stands 23 of 53 on volume. The test names no distinctive metric for Oklahoma liquor stores.

A one-programme market

Of the 51 loans, 50 used 7(a) and 1 used 504. Franchise brands are absent, at 0.00%. The central half of loans spans $150,500 to $532,500, a narrower band than in some states, which suggests purchases of existing stores with inventory and equipment as the main uses. First Pryority Bank and BancFirst each hold 7 loans, worth $3.4 million and $2.6 million, so two banks write the visible volume. Because alcohol retail is licensed, buying a going store often means acquiring an established licence, a feature that shapes the deal.

Cancellation and what is not reported

Oklahoma cancellations for FY2017 to FY2024 approvals sit at 7.1%, a floor that equals the ceiling. Oklahoma's loss rate is held back, for that funded cohort stays under 30 loans. No number is shown, and nothing here implies there were no losses. Annual approvals went from 3 in FY2019 to 8 in FY2023 and $4.6 million in FY2026.

What a study for Oklahoma must test

Oklahoma regulates liquor retail tightly, so the study should confirm licence availability, location rules and the cost of transfer before it measures demand. Next the study must size the trade area, measure how close competing stores and grocery outlets sit, and cost the inventory a ticket near $260,000 has to carry. Show the coverage ratio under a margin squeeze, since pricing rules limit what an owner can change. If the project buys a going store, the appraisal will weigh the licence, inventory and lease, and the study should reconcile the seller's sales history with the projection. A low median suggests thin margins for error.