Industries › Retail Trade › Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers › Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers
NAICS 4591Industry group0.5% of all approvals
SBA loans for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers
7(a) and 504 approvals to businesses SBA classifies under NAICS 4591, with the lenders and states behind them.
SBA approvals by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September, so FY2025 is 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. *FY2026 is open: approvals to 30 Jun 2026 only.
SBA approved 1,781 loans to businesses in sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers (NAICS 4591) in FY2021 to FY2025, worth $652M: 1,658 under 7(a) and 123 under 504.
That is 0.5% of all approvals.
In FY2025 there were 637 approvals, up 22% on FY2024. The median 7(a) approval was $150K, against $190K for all industries, and 10.1% of approvals went to franchise businesses.
Loan status is as recorded by SBA at the data date; charge-off rates are computed on loans approved at least five fiscal years ago. Jobs supported are self-reported estimates from the SBA loan application, which SBA does not review, audit or validate. Data through 30 Jun 2026.
Volume by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | 7(a) approvals | 7(a) dollars | Median 7(a) | 504 approvals | 504 dollars | All approvals | Jobs supported, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026* | 320 | $102M | $150K | 15 | $11.1M | 335 | 1,764 |
| FY2025 | 598 | $138M | $134K | 39 | $23.9M | 637 | 3,340 |
| FY2024 | 492 | $172M | $150K | 31 | $28.0M | 523 | 3,346 |
| FY2023 | 375 | $148M | $150K | 28 | $18.7M | 403 | 2,803 |
| FY2022 | 192 | $93.7M | $202K | 25 | $28.1M | 217 | 1,627 |
| FY2021 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | 1 | 0 |
| FY2020 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| FY2019 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| FY2018 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | 1 | 15 |
| FY2017 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| FY2016 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
SBA records the NAICS code in force when a loan was approved. The 2022 NAICS revision renumbered parts of retail trade and information, so some lines of business appear under one code before FY2023 and another after. FY2016–FY2020 approvals under this code: 1.
Lenders most active in this industry
By number of approvals, FY2021–FY2025; 409 lenders had at least one.
| # | Lender | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH | 231 | $44.8M | 13.0% | |
| 2 | Northeast BankLewiston, ME | 92 | $10.4M | 5.2% | |
| 3 | U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH | 90 | $11.7M | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust CompanyBuffalo, NY | 61 | $15.9M | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL | 58 | $18.9M | 3.3% | |
| 6 | BayFirst National BankSaint Petersburg, FL | 57 | $7.8M | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ | 51 | $13.2M | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Wells Fargo Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD | 50 | $6.6M | 2.8% | |
| 9 | TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE | 40 | $5.7M | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT | 36 | $9.8M | 2.0% | |
| 11 | First Bank of the LakeOsage Beach, MO | 33 | $15.6M | 1.9% | |
| 12 | KeyBank National AssociationCleveland, OH | 24 | $5.4M | 1.3% | |
| 13 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National AssociationColumbus, OH | 23 | $4.7M | 1.3% | |
| 14 | Lendistry SBLC, LLCLos Angeles, CA | 19 | $3.8M | 1.1% | |
| 15 | Columbia BankLake Oswego, OR | 18 | $2.9M | 1.0% | |
| 16 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp.San Diego, CA | 18 | $2.5M | 1.0% | |
| 17 | Zions Bank, A Division ofSalt Lake City, UT | 16 | $3.1M | 0.9% | |
| 18 | Bank of America, National AssociationCharlotte, NC | 15 | $8.9M | 0.8% | |
| 19 | Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC | 14 | $18.3M | 0.8% | |
| 20 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY | 14 | $10.0M | 0.8% |
States
| # | State of the business | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 161 | $61.9M | 9.0% | |
| 2 | Florida | 99 | $57.2M | 5.6% | |
| 3 | Texas | 92 | $37.5M | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Ohio | 92 | $21.2M | 5.2% | |
| 5 | New York | 85 | $30.7M | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Minnesota | 81 | $28.0M | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Colorado | 75 | $29.3M | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Michigan | 74 | $24.8M | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 68 | $18.9M | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Illinois | 54 | $13.9M | 3.0% | |
| 11 | Utah | 51 | $31.6M | 2.9% | |
| 12 | North Carolina | 51 | $17.3M | 2.9% | |
| 13 | Oregon | 48 | $19.2M | 2.7% | |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 44 | $10.4M | 2.5% | |
| 15 | Washington | 43 | $15.8M | 2.4% |
Franchise brands
10.1% of approvals carried a franchise code.
| # | Brand | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bricks & Minifigs | 78 | 4.4% | |
| 2 | Play It Again Sports | 41 | 2.3% | |
| 3 | Color Me Mine | 12 | 0.7% | |
| 4 | HobbyTown | 11 | 0.6% | |
| 5 | Pro Image Sports | 5 | 0.3% | |
| 6 | Fleet Feet Sports | 4 | 0.2% | |
| 7 | Learning Express | 4 | 0.2% | |
| 8 | Wild Birds Unlimited | 3 | 0.2% | |
| 9 | School of Rock | 3 | 0.2% | |
| 10 | The Hot Spot Studios | 3 | 0.2% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less27.6%491
- $50,001 to $150,00024.3%432
- $150,001 to $350,00021.7%386
- $350,001 to $1 million18.6%331
- $1 million to $2 million5.1%90
- Over $2 million2.9%51
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old51.5%917
- New business, 2 years or less17.4%310
- Startup, loan funds will open the business19.1%340
- Change of ownership11.9%212
- Not answered0.1%2
Charge-offs against all industries
| Loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | This industry, 7(a) | All 7(a) | This industry, 504 | All 504 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 2 | 639,905 | 0 | 85,591 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 0 | 79,313 | 0 | 12,514 |
| Disbursed loans | 2 | 560,592 | 0 | 73,077 |
| Paid in full | 0 | 435,813 | 0 | 35,491 |
| Charged off | 0 | 36,891 | 0 | 905 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 2 | 87,888 | 0 | 36,681 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | too few loans | 6.6% | too few loans | 1.2% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | too few loans | 2.5% | too few loans | 0.9% |
| Dollars charged off | — | $5.70bn | — | $499M |
Against all industries
| FY2021–FY2025 | NAICS 4591 | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| Median 7(a) approval | $150K | $190K |
| Median 504 approval | $520K | $657K |
| Average approval | $366K | $573K |
| Approvals per 1,000 establishments | — | 41.0 |
| Approvals to franchise businesses | 10.1% | 11.2% |
| Jobs supported per approval, as reported | 6.2 | 10.5 |
Questions and answers
Which lenders make the most SBA loans for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers?
By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: The Huntington National Bank (231), Northeast Bank (92), U.S. Bank, National Association (90), Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (61), Newtek Bank, National Association (58). 409 lenders had at least one.
How large are typical SBA loans for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers?
The median 7(a) approval was $150K and the median 504 approval $520K; the average across both programs was $366K.
What share of SBA loans for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers are charged off?
There are too few matured loans to show a rate.
Which states have the most SBA loans for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers?
California (161), Florida (99), Texas (92), Ohio (92), New York (85).
Is SBA lending for sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument retailers rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 1,563, against 218 in the three before: rising (+617%).
About these figures
Figures are totals of the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, data through 30 Jun 2026. SBA updates the files quarterly. Counts are loan approvals, including approvals later cancelled; the five-year window is FY2021–FY2025, the five latest complete fiscal years. Charge-off rates use only loans approved in FY2010–FY2021, at least five fiscal years ago, and count disbursed loans SBA records as charged off. Loans are listed under the lender they are assigned to today. Establishment counts are from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023, which leaves out most farms, government and businesses without employees. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error