SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MAINE
Pearle Vision Center franchise in Maine: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Pearle Vision Center in Maine have taken 7 SBA loans since 1991 (average $168,571)— 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 6.6% is the better guide.
Loans in ME
7
Resolved
7
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
6.6%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = ME. 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
141
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
10
national 11.6
Versus the country
-14%
thinner
Every business in Pearle Vision Center's industry operating in Maine — 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.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Pearle Vision Center's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →