The Great Frame UpFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Great Frame Up franchise requires a total initial investment of $114K – $209K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $209K
- 11th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 55
- 20th pct Retail
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $114K – $209K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 62/100.
- System contracting at -8.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Franchise Concepts, Inc.
- Parent company
- CFran Holdings, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Conceptual Franchises, LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 5700 Mexico Road, Suite 6, St. Peters, Missouri 63376
- Auditor
- Conner Ash P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4M
- vs $1.4M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- of the franchisor
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
The Great Frame Up franchisees operate custom framing retail shops, offering design consultation, material selection, and framing services to customers seeking to preserve artwork, photographs, and memorabilia. Day-to-day operations include customer consultations, frame assembly, matting, glass cutting, and inventory management of frames, mats, and backing materials.
- CEO
- Joseph A. Lynch
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 1998
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 19
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $2K | $30K | |
| Travel and living expenses while attending initial trainingnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Real Estatenot refundable | $5K | $80K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $5K | $9K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $8K | $29K | |
| Fixturesnot refundable | $10K | $28K | |
| Architect Feenot refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $6K | $35K | |
| Freight and Storagenot refundable | $1K | $8K | |
| In-Store and Store Front Signagenot refundable | $2K | $6K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costsnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $10K | $23K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $0 | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $52K | $289K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $114K – $209K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $25 |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $9K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How The Great Frame Up Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 55
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 3.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -1.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -8.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 1.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 3.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $1.1M
- Median loan
- $164K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Great Frame Up's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 5 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
The Great Frame Up presents elevated risk due to shrinking unit count, missing financial disclosures, franchisor litigation against franchisees, and unclear profitability, warranting extensive validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
2 case reference(s): 2 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Conner Ash P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 62 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-1.8% YoY) indicates a contracting franchise system with negative momentum
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) prevents validation of ROI claims and profitability expectations
- 03HIGHActive litigation by franchisor against franchisees for unpaid royalties suggests cash flow problems among existing franchisees and potential collection issues
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($113.7K–$209.5K) combined with undisclosed earnings creates significant financial risk with unclear return potential
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross sales (not net income) means franchisees pay regardless of profitability, straining operators during downturns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 3 mile radius |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
2 case reference(s): 2 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 78 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Lifesaver
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Lifesaver
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
53 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Great Frame Up · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Great Frame Up franchise?
The total investment to open a The Great Frame Up franchise ranges from $114K – $209K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Great Frame Up franchise owners earn?
The Great Frame Up does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is The Great Frame Up's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Great Frame Up (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many The Great Frame Up franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Great Frame Up has 55 total units in the United States, including 54 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Great Frame Up a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Great Frame Up as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 62 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.