SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NORTH CAROLINA
Fantastic Sams franchise in North Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fantastic Sams in North Carolina have taken 16 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $150,762). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Fantastic Sams's national ratio is 1.2×.
Loans in NC
16
Charged off (all years)
1 of 11
Loss ratio in NC
—
Loss ratio nationally
1.2×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NC. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
2,373
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
21.5
national 26.6
Versus the country
-19%
thinner
Every business in Fantastic Sams's industry operating in North Carolina — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$751
North Carolina, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+8%
costlier to staff
What Fantastic Sams's industry actually pays workers in North Carolina, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in NC | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in NC | Units in NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Clips | 27 | 1 of 21 | — | 59 |
| SUPERCUTS | 14 | 0 of 12 | — | 19 |
| Planet Beach | 12 | 8 of 11 | — | — |
| European Wax Center | 10 | 0 of 8 | — | — |
| GREAT CLIPS | 10 | 0 of 9 | — | — |
| MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS | 8 | 1 of 6 | — | 34 |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 6 | 0 of 6 | — | 7 |
| Hollywood Tans | 5 | 2 of 5 | — | — |
Other systems in Fantastic Sams's sector whose franchisees borrowed in North Carolina. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Fantastic Sams’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.