SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MINNESOTA
Do It Best Hardware franchise in Minnesota: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Do It Best Hardware in Minnesota have taken 10 SBA loans since 1991 (average $519,363)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 17.4% is the better guide.
Loans in MN
10
Resolved
7
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
17.4%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MN. 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 of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
2,985
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
51.5
national 39.6
Versus the country
+30%
denser
Every business in Do It Best Hardware's industry operating in Minnesota — 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 MN | Local charge-off | Units in MN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware Hank | 44 | 6.7% | — |
| Ace Hardware | 43 | 3.2% | — |
| True Value Hardware | 17 | 23.1% | — |
| Coast-to-Coast Store | 16 | 7.7% | — |
| Snap-On Tools | 6 | thin | — |
| Mr. Electric | 5 | thin | — |
| PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Do It Best Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in Minnesota 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 Do It Best Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →