FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

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

Franchisees of Hand and Stone in New York have taken 7 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $364,771). 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 Yorkvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in NY

7

Charged off (all years)

0 of 5

Loss ratio in NY

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.3×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NY. 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 York vs nationalThin market

Businesses in this industry

1,332

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

6.7

national 11.6

Versus the country

-42%

thinner

Every business in Hand and Stone's industry operating in New York — 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 York vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$705

New York, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$806

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-13%

cheaper to staff

What Hand and Stone's industry actually pays workers in New York, 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 York6 systems
SystemLoans in NYCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in NYUnits in NY
MASSAGE ENVY171 of 11—28
Pearle Vision110 of 8——
AFC/AMERICAN FAMILY CARE80 of 1—23
Medicine Shoppe80 of 7——
Perspire Sauna Studio7——2
Doctors Express60 of 4——

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

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