Verified — real FDD extraction
SBA-eligible · directory code S1562 since 2017
SHELFGENIE
Other · independent · est. —
ShelfGenie, part of the Neighborly family of home service brands, designs and installs custom glide-out shelving for existing cabinets and pantries. A franchisee runs a home-based business coordinating designers and installers who conduct in-home consultations and install custom shelving solutions, primarily for homeowners seeking better storage access.
SHELFGENIE net unit count grew +1.1% from 2023–2025 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).
The verdict
Proven & steady
Distress
The operating record is solid, but the FDD discloses a bankruptcy history (Item 4) — capped below a full endorsement.
Exit rate · latest year
4.6%
fiscal 2025, per Item 20
Cost to open
$95K–$148K
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan defaults
Too few resolved
23 loans exist; too few resolved to rate
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness
Systemwide units
2023–2025
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2025, 12 of 261 franchised outlets left the system — a 4.6% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 240 | 271 | 281 |
| Opened | 44 | 28 | 13 |
| Transfers | 8 | 29 | 14 |
| Terminations | 15 | 21 | 7 |
| Non-renewals | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Outlets at end | 271 | 281 | 274 |
| Net change | +31 | +10 | -7 |
The lender's view
SBA 7(a)/504 loan performance · FY1991–present
Banks have made 23 SBA-backed loans to SHELFGENIE franchisees since 2015. Most are still open, so there is not yet a resolved cohort large enough to rate.
—
9 resolved · too thin to rate
—
avg. charged-off $ ÷ approved $
—
default rate × loss severity
$494,906
what recent franchisees borrowed
51 mo
approval → charge-off, defaulted loans
5 vs 5
distinct banks still lending
Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%)
SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO SHELFGENIE BY FRANCHISE NAME · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL
The owner's side of the deal
FDD × federal loan record
Who finances it
United Midwest Savings Bank National Association
45.5% of this brand's loans
That lender charges off 35.1% of its loans to other franchise brands, vs 14.8% nationally.
Who buys it
Too few identified operators
Does experience help here?
Not enough resolved loans to split
Computed from 23 SBA 7(a)/504 loans to SHELFGENIE franchisees joined to the brand's own FDD. Debt service assumes level amortization at the average disclosed term and rate. A lender's rate excludes its loans to this brand, so it reads the lender, not the brand.
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $70K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $95K–$148K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.
To open (Item 7)
$95K–$148K
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$70K
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
7%
of sales, ongoing
Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.
Royalty you'd pay / yr
$70K
7% of sales, before profit
Over a 10-yr term
$700K
royalties alone, excl. ad fund
This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.
Build a real pro-forma for SHELFGENIE with an independent CPAModeled risk
FDD Risk Score · modeled from the public record
The public record puts this brand toward the riskier end of the systems we score — but the evidence is thin, so treat it as a range, not a number.
Risk percentile (range)
76–100 / 100
Directional
Modeled SBA charge-off
19.1%
Observed SBA charge-off
22.2%
Top drivers: Share financed by high-loss lenders (raises) · Investment ceiling (log) (raises) · Single-lender dependence (lowers) · System size (log units) (lowers). Thin loan history — treat this as a range, not a number. A linear scorecard built from this brand's own disclosure figures plus the federal loan record behind its franchisees; full spec and cross-validated accuracy on the methodology page. A score is context, not a verdict.
Distress signals
news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits
No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for SHELFGENIE. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing SHELFGENIE's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →SHELFGENIE franchise questions, answered from the filings
What percentage of SHELFGENIE franchises closed last year?
In SHELFGENIE's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 12 of 261 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 4.6%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.
How much does a SHELFGENIE franchise cost?
Per SHELFGENIE's 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $70K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $95K–$148K (Item 7).
What royalty does SHELFGENIE charge?
SHELFGENIE charges an ongoing royalty of 7.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2026 FDD.
Does SHELFGENIE disclose earnings (Item 19)?
Yes — SHELFGENIE makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.