SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NORTH CAROLINA
Fantastic Sams franchise in North Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fantastic Sams in North Carolina have taken 16 SBA loans since 1991 (average $150,762), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 9.1% were charged off — versus 22.1% for Fantastic Sams nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in NC
16
Resolved
11
Local charge-off
9.1%
National charge-off
22.1%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NC. 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
2,373
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
21.5
national 26.6
Versus the country
-19%
thinner
Every business in Fantastic Sams's industry operating in North Carolina — 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.
| System | Loans in NC | Local charge-off | Units in NC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUPERCUTS | 14 | 0.0% | 19 |
| Planet Beach | 12 | 72.7% | — |
| European Wax Centers-Galleria | 11 | thin | — |
| GREAT CLIPS | 10 | thin | — |
| Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa | 10 | thin | — |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 6 | thin | 7 |
| THE NOW | 6 | thin | — |
| Hollywood Tans | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Fantastic Sams compares to the systems a buyer in North Carolina 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. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Fantastic Sams's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
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