SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MARYLAND
ZIPS DRY CLEANERS franchise in Maryland: what the public record shows
Franchisees of ZIPS DRY CLEANERS in Maryland have taken 5 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $821,520). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. ZIPS DRY CLEANERS has too few seasoned resolved loans nationally for a national ratio. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 22 franchised outlets in Maryland (fiscal 2025) — about 0.35 per 100k residents.
Loans in MD
5
Charged off (all years)
0 of 1
Loss ratio in MD
—
Loss ratio nationally
—
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MD. 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.
Businesses in this industry
2,021
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
32.3
national 26.7
Versus the country
+21%
denser
Every business in ZIPS DRY CLEANERS's industry operating in Maryland — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$664
Maryland, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$659
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+1%
costlier to staff
What ZIPS DRY CLEANERS's industry actually pays workers in Maryland, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 22 | 1 |
| 2015 | 22 | 1 |
| 2016 | 23 | 1 |
| 2023 | 29 | 2 |
| 2024 | 30 | 2 |
| 2025 | 22 | 10 |
| System | Loans in MD | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MD | Units in MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICEMASTER RESTORE | 11 | 0 of 6 | — | 51 |
| SERVPRO | 11 | 2 of 8 | — | 44 |
| MOLLY MAID | 6 | 3 of 3 | — | 14 |
Other systems in ZIPS DRY CLEANERS's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Maryland. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing ZIPS DRY CLEANERS’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.