Question 1

Is Mainstream Boutique or Flip Flop Shops cheaper to open?

Accepted Answer

Mainstream Boutique costs $198,200–$361,350 and Flip Flop Shops costs $182,900–$349,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Flip Flop Shops has the lower entry cost.

Question 2

Which earns more, Mainstream Boutique or Flip Flop Shops?

Accepted Answer

Mainstream Boutique reports $482,184 average annual unit revenue vs $473,319 for Flip Flop Shops (FDD Item 19). Mainstream Boutique is higher. For Mainstream Boutique: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales. For Flip Flop Shops: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.

Question 3

Which is safer, Mainstream Boutique or Flip Flop Shops?

Accepted Answer

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 42.9% for Mainstream Boutique and 52.6% for Flip Flop Shops. Lower is safer, so Mainstream Boutique has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Question 4

Which is the better franchise, Mainstream Boutique or Flip Flop Shops?

Accepted Answer

FranchiseVerdict grades Mainstream Boutique D and Flip Flop Shops F, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Metric	Mainstream Boutique	Flip Flop Shops
Verdict Grade	DBelow average	FWeakest tier
Investment Range	$198K – $361K	$183K – $349K
Franchise Fee	$40K	$30K
Royalty Rate	7.5%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$482KOutlet subset	$473KOutlet subset
SBA Charge-Off Rate	42.9% (21 loans)	52.6% (26 loans)
Total Units	67	47
Unit Growth (YoY)	-5 units	-2 units
Year Began Franchising	1998	2018
FDD Year	2025	2025

Mainstream Boutique vs Flip Flop Shops