The Designery
Formerly known as A1 Kitchen & Bath
Bottom line
- Total investment $185K – $420K including a $55K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year. Estimated payback in 1.8 years.
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 52/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 2 loans (below the industry average).
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note — flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one The Designery unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
28%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
The Designery franchisees operate custom design studios offering personalized design services (likely interior design, graphic design, or similar). Day-to-day operations typically involve client consultations, design project management, material sourcing, and delivery of design solutions within protected territories.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
The Designery shows concerning litigation, opaque royalty structures, and franchisor financial stress despite rapid unit growth, warranting careful validation of franchisee profitability claims.
Score breakdown · what drove the 52 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive litigation involving franchisor vs. franchisee with counterclaims of fraudulent misrepresentation raises governance and disclosure concerns
- 02MINORExplosive unit growth of 247.6% YoY suggests either aggressive expansion or acquisition of struggling units, creating sustainability questions
- 03MINORMinimum Monthly Royalty Fee structure (blended 7%-5%) is opaque; actual royalty burden unclear and could significantly impact the stated $172k average net income
- 04MINORHigh ratio of franchise fee ($54,900) to average net income ($172,359.50) means ROI breakeven could take 4+ months even at optimal performance
- 05HIGHGoing Concern flag indicates potential financial stress at franchisor level despite system growth, raising support and viability questions
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
19 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
The Designery · FDD (2025) PDF