FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Hand and Stone franchise in New Jersey: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Hand and Stone in New Jersey have taken 30 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $603,240). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Hand and Stone's national ratio is 0.3×.

SBA loan outcomes · New Jerseyvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in NJ

30

Charged off (all years)

0 of 15

Loss ratio in NJ

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.3×

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

Market density · New Jersey vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

981

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

10.3

national 11.6

Versus the country

-11%

thinner

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

Labor cost · New Jersey vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$856

New Jersey, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$806

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+6%

costlier to staff

What Hand and Stone's industry actually pays workers in New Jersey, 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in New Jersey8 systems
SystemLoans in NJCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in NJUnits in NJ
AFC/AMERICAN FAMILY CARE230 of 3—41
Success On The Spectrum200 of 1——
Pearle Vision160 of 10——
MASSAGE ENVY131 of 11—38
Fyzical6——4
Perspire Sauna Studio60 of 1—2
4Ever Young5——9
ELLIE MENTAL HEALTH5———

Other systems in Hand and Stone's sector whose franchisees borrowed in New Jersey. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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