Uptown CheapskateFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Uptown Cheapskate franchise requires a total initial investment of $328K – $597K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 3.0% charge-off rate across 100 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $328K – $597K
- 52nd pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 21st pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 6th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 143
- 44th pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- 3.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services 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
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
41% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $328K – $597K including a $25K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.3M), with an estimated 41% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 13/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 3.0% across 100 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC
- Parent company
- BaseCamp Franchising, LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 39 E. Eagle Ridge Drive, #100, North Salt Lake, Utah 84054
- Auditor
- Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $13.6M
- vs $15.5M prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
Uptown Cheapskate is a secondhand/consignment retail franchise operating physical storefronts that buy, sell, and consign used clothing, accessories, and home goods. Franchisees manage inventory acquisition, store operations, customer service, and local marketing while leveraging the brand's supply chain relationships and operational systems to maximize margins on resale merchandise.
- CEO
- Zachary Gordon and Tyler Gordon
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 25
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $40K | $68K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $263K | $504K |
| Total initial investment | $328K | $597K |
Source: Uptown Cheapskate 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$224K
17.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
43%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
28 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $328K – $597K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $68K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $350 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Total fee load | 5.5% of rev |
A 5.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $188K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 40.7%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Annualized Average, Median and Range of Profit and Loss
- Sample size
- 121 units
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $392K→$3.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Uptown Cheapskate Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 143
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 14
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 90%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +11.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +30.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 22 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 100
- Loan volume
- $42.7M
- Median loan
- $373K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 3.0%
- 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)
- 91.4%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 23
- Defaults
- 3
Vintage analysis
Uptown Cheapskate charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Uptown Cheapskate's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 16-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-caution risk profile: litigation history indicating support gaps and earnings claim issues, combined with high capital requirements relative to average profitability, warrant careful validation of current support systems and franchisee satisfaction.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 13 / 100 rating
- 01HIGH2014-2015 litigation alleging unlawful earnings claims and inadequate franchisee support, resulting in $186,750 liability judgment against franchisor
- 02MINORFranchisor failed in fiduciary duty to advise franchisee on lease negotiations, indicating potential systemic support gaps
- 03MINOR11.2% YoY unit growth is modest for a 143-unit system; insufficient data on unit profitability consistency across portfolio
- 04MINORHigh investment-to-net-income ratio: $328K-$596.5K initial cost against $188K average net income suggests 1.7-3.2 year payback period with execution risk
- 05MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation provided; averages may mask significant variation in franchisee outcomes
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Circular area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 1 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 46 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 55 hrs
- POS system
- Baseline
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Baseline
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
100 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Uptown Cheapskate · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Uptown Cheapskate franchise?
The total investment to open a Uptown Cheapskate franchise ranges from $328K – $597K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Uptown Cheapskate franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Uptown Cheapskate FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Uptown Cheapskate's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Uptown Cheapskate has a charge-off rate of 3.0% across 100 loans, meaning 3.0% 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 Uptown Cheapskate franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Uptown Cheapskate has 143 total units in the United States, including 99 franchised units and 14 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Uptown Cheapskate a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Uptown Cheapskate as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 13 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.