The Great Frame Up Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Great Frame Up is a custom framing retail franchise for art, photos, and memorabilia. Franchisees run the studios, guiding design consultations and managing framing production and inventory.
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). SBA 7(a) loans show a 17.9% charge-off rate across 34 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $209K
- 10th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 22nd pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 55
- 22nd pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- 17.9%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · 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 C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 17.9% across 34 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System contracting at -12.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Franchise Concepts, Inc.
- Parent company
- CFran Holdings, LLC
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- 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
- CEO
- Joseph A. Lynch
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 1998
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 19
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 61% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 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
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category 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.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Retail average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -12.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Retail averages
How The Great Frame Up Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 55
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -12.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -12.7%
- 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).
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 34
- Loan volume
- $4.3M
- Median loan
- $164K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 17.9%
- 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)
- 82.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 5
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 31.1%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 24
- 2.3 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 50%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 50% went to startups / new businesses, 50% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in all other home furnishings stores, franchised businesses charge off at 31.1% vs 25.1% for independents — franchising is associated with 24% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing The Great Frame Up franchisees
Showing 3 of 4 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 17.9% — 12% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Two litigation matters, but franchisor is plaintiff suing franchisees for unpaid royalties — no claims against franchisor. Positive net worth $1.06M, $164K net income, audited. Concerns are no Item 19 disclosure and -12.7% net growth (shrinking system).
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 43 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOR2 suits but franchisor is plaintiff (low severity)
- 02MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 03MINOR-12.7% net growth (system contracting)
- 04MINORPositive equity $1.06M, net income $164K, audited
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 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?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Great Frame Up has a charge-off rate of 17.9% across 34 loans, meaning 17.9% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
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 55 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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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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.