SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · OHIO
Ace Hardware franchise in Ohio: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Ohio have taken 68 SBA loans since 1991 (average $423,554), and of the 46 loans whose story has ended, 15.2% were charged off — versus 12.2% for Ace Hardware nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in OH
68
Resolved
46
Local charge-off
15.2%
National charge-off
12.2%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = OH. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
3,358
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
28.3
national 39.6
Versus the country
-29%
thinner
Every business in Ace Hardware's industry operating in Ohio — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in OH | Local charge-off | Units in OH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap-On Tools | 25 | 17.4% | — |
| EverLine Coatings and Services | 10 | thin | — |
| Woodcraft | 10 | thin | — |
| Mr. Handyman | 9 | thin | — |
| PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT | 8 | thin | — |
| True Value Hardware | 7 | thin | — |
| Do It Best Hardware | 6 | thin | — |
| JDOG JUNK REMOVAL & HAULING | 6 | thin | — |
| SUPERIOR FENCE & RAIL, INC | 6 | thin | 15 |
| Closets By Design | 5 | thin | — |
| FIBRENEW | 5 | thin | — |
| Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Ace Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in Ohio would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →