Buy a Liquor Store in Long Beach, CA

The Long Beach Liquor Store Market

Long Beach is one of the denser retail corridors in Los Angeles County, with nearly 460,000 residents and a median household income approaching $84,000. That combination of density and spending power makes it a reasonable target for liquor store acquisitions, particularly neighborhood-format stores that capture daily foot traffic rather than destination buyers.

The competitive reality: Los Angeles County has a high concentration of off-sale ABC licensees, which means acquisition is often the only practical path to ownership. New ABC Type 20 (beer and wine) and Type 21 (full liquor) licenses are nearly impossible to obtain in established neighborhoods. Buyers who want to own a liquor store in Long Beach almost always need to buy an existing licensed operation.

That makes goodwill and license value a meaningful portion of any asking price here. Account for it in due diligence.

How Much Does a Liquor Store Cost in Long Beach?

The wide price range ($79K to $6.2M nationally) reflects how much variation exists in this category. A small beer-and-wine shop in a secondary location trades very differently from a full-service liquor store with lottery, ATM revenue, and an ABC Type 21 license in a high-traffic Long Beach corridor.

In California specifically, you are often paying a premium for the license itself. An ABC Type 21 license in Los Angeles County can carry $150K to $300K in implied value depending on the neighborhood, which gets embedded in the goodwill line of the purchase price. Buyers need to separate license value from operational cash flow when evaluating a deal.

Here is what a realistic Long Beach liquor store deal looks like at the median, as of Q1 2026:

These are rough estimates based on market data. Actual terms depend on individual qualification and lender.

At these numbers, the deal clears our 2x DSCR target with room. That is a healthy acquisition from a debt service perspective, assuming the cash flow is real and verifiable.

Can You Get SBA Financing to Buy a Liquor Store in Long Beach?

Yes. Liquor stores are SBA-eligible businesses, and California is an active SBA lending state. The 10% equity injection requirement applies here: 5% in buyer cash and 5% as a seller note on full standby (meaning no payments during the SBA loan term). Based on Regalis Capital's analysis of recent acquisitions, we achieve full standby seller notes on over 90% of our deals, which significantly reduces the buyer's day-one cash requirement.

One financing nuance for California: lenders will want to confirm the ABC license transfers cleanly and that there are no pending disciplinary actions with the state. A license under review or with a recent violation history can slow or kill SBA approval. Pull the ABC license history early in diligence.

SBA rates currently run approximately 10% to 11% (WSJ Prime plus 1.5% to 2.75%), based on current rates. The 10-year loan term is standard for business acquisitions.

What Should You Look For When Buying a Long Beach Liquor Store?

The single most important document in a liquor store acquisition is the state sales tax return filed with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). It is a third-party verification of gross sales that is harder to manipulate than POS reports or bank statements. Request three years of CDTFA filings before you trust any revenue number a seller or broker presents.

Beyond that, prioritize these:

Inventory value. Liquor store deals often include inventory separately from the purchase price. Know the current inventory count and what carrying cost you are taking on at close.

Lease terms. A liquor store tied to a bad lease is a bad acquisition. Confirm remaining term, renewal options, rent escalation clauses, and whether the landlord will consent to assignment. In Long Beach, commercial rents vary widely by corridor. A store on Anaheim Street operates in a different rent environment than one near Belmont Shore.

License type and history. Type 21 with a clean record is the gold standard. Type 20 limits you to beer and wine, which cuts margin on spirits. Any violations in the last three years should be treated as a negotiation point, not just a disclosure item.

Labor structure. Owner-operated stores often show inflated SDE because the owner works 60 hours per week. If you need to hire a manager, build that cost into your real cash flow estimate before you accept any seller's numbers at face value.

SDE (Seller Discretionary Earnings) is the standard metric brokers use in this category. It requires a 15% to 50% adjustment to approximate actual buyer cash flow, depending on how much owner labor is embedded in the number.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to buy a liquor store in Long Beach, California?

As of Q1 2026, most liquor store acquisitions in Los Angeles County fall between $300K and $1.5M, with a national median asking price around $512,500. Long Beach stores in high-traffic locations with full ABC Type 21 licenses often price above the median, with license value alone contributing $150K to $300K to the asking price.

What is the typical cash flow from a liquor store acquisition?

Nationally, the median annual cash flow for a liquor store acquisition is approximately $158K as of Q1 2026. California stores with high foot traffic and lottery revenue can exceed this, but buyers should verify cash flow through CDTFA sales tax filings rather than relying on broker-presented SDE figures.

Can I use SBA financing to buy a liquor store in California?

Yes. Liquor stores are SBA-eligible, and California has a strong network of SBA 7(a) lenders. The standard equity injection is 10%, structured as 5% buyer cash plus a 5% seller note on full standby. Lenders will require confirmation that the ABC license transfers cleanly and has no pending disciplinary history.

What is an ABC Type 21 license and why does it matter for acquisitions?

An ABC Type 21 license allows the sale of all alcoholic beverages, including spirits. A Type 20 allows only beer and wine. In a liquor store acquisition, the license type directly affects revenue potential and goodwill value. Type 21 licenses in established Los Angeles County markets can carry $150K to $300K in implied value embedded in the purchase price.

How long does it take to close on a liquor store acquisition in California?

Expect 60 to 120 days from signed LOI to close. The ABC license transfer process adds time that is not present in most other business acquisitions. California requires buyers to file a transfer application, post a notice of transfer, and clear any tax holds before the license can be reassigned. Starting the ABC filing early in the process is important for hitting a target close date.

Talk to Our Team About Liquor Store Acquisitions in Long Beach

If you are seriously looking at buying a liquor store in Long Beach or anywhere in the Los Angeles area, the deal economics are workable at current market prices. The median deal clears our DSCR targets, and SBA financing is available for qualified buyers.

The variables that matter most here are license history and verifiable cash flow. Both are solvable with the right diligence process.

Regalis Capital's deal team reviews 120 to 150 deals per week across the country. If you want experienced eyes on a specific opportunity or want to start a search in the Long Beach market, start with a free deal assessment.