SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
True Value Hardware franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of True Value Hardware in California have taken 25 SBA loans since 1991 (average $410,448), and of the 22 loans whose story has ended, 18.2% were charged off — versus 14.7% for True Value Hardware nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in CA
25
Resolved
22
Local charge-off
18.2%
National charge-off
14.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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.
Businesses in this industry
16,787
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
42.6
national 39.6
Versus the country
+8%
denser
Every business in True Value Hardware's industry operating in California — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,342
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+7%
costlier to staff
What True Value Hardware's industry actually pays workers in California, 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.
| System | Loans in CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Hardware | 121 | 15.9% | — |
| Budget Blinds | 42 | 15.0% | — |
| Mr. Electric | 18 | thin | — |
| Snap-On | 18 | thin | — |
| Mr. Handyman | 13 | thin | — |
| Five Star Bath Solutions | 12 | thin | — |
| GLASS DOCTOR | 11 | thin | 7 |
| 1-800-GOT-JUNK? | 10 | thin | — |
| Closet Factory | 8 | thin | — |
| Coast-to-Coast Store | 8 | thin | — |
| EverLine Coatings and Services | 8 | thin | — |
| Roto Rooter | 7 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how True Value Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in California would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing True Value Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.