Permits and general store license information

Starting a(n) general store Business Licenses & Tax IDs

Hi, I'm John To Get Obtain Ar Business License Online Business General Store 🏪 The paperwork map for Johns A-Z Online Store

Q: I will run a drop shipping store, where I do not keep the products in stock and the supplier ships each item directly to the customer.

A: Hi John,
Without stock in a garage, the store runs on paperwork instead of shelves. A sales tax permit l..., John.

general store

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Your general store checklist, item by item

Q: What licenses and permits might I need to start a general store?

A: Good news: a general store is a well-trodden road, and we know its signposts. Each item below MAY apply to you, and we find out which ones do. It also lists the personal license or trade license of the person doing the work, because a business license alone does not cover that.

1. Business license: A business license for a general store MAY ask what mix of goods you carry, such as groceries, hardware and gifts, your floor space, and whether you sell food or tobacco.
2. Sales tax permit: A sales tax permit MAY be needed because a general store sells many taxable goods, and some foods or household items may be treated differently, so each category is coded carefully.
3. Professional or trade license: Alcohol server permit: Clerks who sell beer, wine or liquor may need a personal server or seller permit earned through a responsible-sales training course.
4. Retail food permit: Selling packaged or refrigerated foods may require a food permit and cooler checks.
5. Tobacco or alcohol license: Selling these items requires separate licenses and age checks.
6. Fire safety clearance: A check of exits, aisles and extinguishers may be requested for a store with packed shelves.
7. Zoning clearance letter: A statement that a store suits the building may be requested before the sign goes up.
8. Company papers: A DBA, an LLC or a tax ID number MAY make sense for your general store, and we prepare all of these documents on this site, so everything can be ordered in one place.

Need two licenses? Pay our service fee once. Order the business license and, if a home occupation permit or another license is also required, we obtain both under that single service fee. The govt's own annual tax and application fees are separate and are not included; finding and filling out the applications is what we do.

Why it is worth the paperwork

Convenience and a friendly face beat big stores, and the front porch becomes a meeting spot.

Opening day, imagined

Lorelei hangs a chalkboard at Maple & Pike Mercantile and finds the form lists more categories than her shelves.

What can go wrong

A spoiled product sickens a shopper, and an LLC helps protect your savings.

Your numbers

Business code (NAICS): 452319 (All Other General Merchandise Stores), 455219 under the 2022 update. This page lists 8 paperwork items for a general store, and each one is marked as something you MAY need, since we confirm which apply.

Tip: Track your top sellers weekly and reorder before shelves go bare.

The cat on the counter is the only employee who is never late.

Ready when you are: start your order and we will find out what applies to your general store, fill out the applications and keep the paperwork moving.

✔ Biz Structure

You can choose to be a(n) General Store :

Sole Proprietor,
LLC,
Corporation or
Partnership.
After you decide and select your business entity, you need licensing.

✔ Biz License

Fort Smith Business Tax Registration ( Business License)
All businesses including home, online or mobile BUSINESS need a BUSINESS license because they are BUSINESSES.

✔ DBA Biz Name

A(n) General Store business doing business under an assumed business name in Sebastian County i.e. you are a business that uses a DBA doing business as trade name to trade that is other than the full legal (first and last -- full name) name of a sole proprietor or a name other than the LLC or Corporation business name need a(n) assumed business name certificate. E.g. you venture into a(n) General Store business and you give it a trade name such as "Excellence General Store & Associates". You will need to register an assumed business name certificate.

✔ Seller Permit

In AR you need a resale ID ( AKA seller's permit) if you selling touchable items. (A.K.A state id, wholesale, resale, reseller certificate, about $39 for most states).
Seller's Permit

✔ Federal EIN

Note: All businesses need a federal tax ID number except sole proprietors that are not employers and are not independent contractors.
An independent contractor is a self employed business person that receives more than $600 per year from anyone of his or her clients.
IRS rule: The client must issue a 1099 form to the independent contractor and the independent contractor must have a federal tax ID. However, even sole owners may obtain a federal ID and use it as a business tax ID instead of using their own social security number as a business tax ID number.
However, all other licenses that apply to sole proprietors as discussed here are requited regardless of getting a federal tax ID number.

✔ State EIN

Also keep in mind that employers will need to obtain a federal EIN and a State EIN tax identificattion number. I.e., a AR Federal Tax Id Number ($29) and a(n) AR State Employer Tax Number

✔ L L C

Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing (about $49 plus state and legal newspaper publication fees) in Fort Smith, Incorporate in AR or form a(n) AR LLC .

Filing a DBA is not required if you will set up an LLC or form a Corporation. If you will do business under your first and last legal name you will not need to get a fictitious business name.
Using any language that connotes additional owners in the name of the business makes filing a fictitious business name mandatory.

✔ Incorporation

If you do form an Internet Business llc or incorporate (about $49 plus state fees for most states) your General Store business instead of just filing a fictitious business name (dba), that insurs that you don't have personal liability for debts and civile liabililty arising from your business dealings and you will not have to record the Fort Smith business name. In lieu of recording a Sebastian County trade company name (our filing service fee includes trade name registration and newspaper legal publication for 4 weeks) you can also form a corporation in AR or form an AR LLC (starts @ $49 plus state fee for most states & includes bylaws for the corporation and Limited Liability operating agreement for the LLC that is required to open a business bank account). .


To Get Obtain Ar Business License Online Business AR General Store AR Fort Smith

Business License Information

Your general store checklist, item by item

Why it is worth the paperwork

Opening day, imagined

What can go wrong

Your numbers