FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ARIZONA

Hand and Stone franchise in Arizona: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Hand and Stone in Arizona have taken 6 SBA loans since 1991 (average $360,500)— 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 2.8% is the better guide.

SBA loan outcomes · Arizonavs national

Loans in AZ

6

Resolved

5

Local charge-off

thin

National charge-off

2.8%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AZ. 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.

Market density · Arizona vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

1,907

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

25.2

national 26.6

Versus the country

-5%

thinner

Every business in Hand and Stone's industry operating in Arizona — 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.

Labor cost · Arizona vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$725

Arizona, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$698

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+4%

costlier to staff

What Hand and Stone's industry actually pays workers in Arizona, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Arizona7 systems
SystemLoans in AZLocal charge-offUnits in AZ
European Wax Centers-Galleria290.0%
Planet Beach2652.4%
Fantastic Sams2327.8%
Amazing Lash Studio15thin6
Elements Therapeutic Massage110.0%
SUPERCUTS10thin55
GREAT CLIPS6thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Hand and Stone compares to the systems a buyer in Arizona would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Hand and Stone's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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