Decorating Den Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Decorating Den franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Decorating Den discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations made. Franchisor does not authorize employees to make oral/written projections.
What a Decorating Den franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $39,900 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 9% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 10% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $52,725 – $73,400 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 9%-7% tiered; 1%-4% NBF contribution; $100/mo technology fee; capped at $55,000/year.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Decorating Den system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 211 |
| Ceased operations | 18 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 12 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 8.5% of outlets |
24 outlets ceased operations 2022-2024; declining outlet count (-24 net).
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Decorating Den worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 10% of sales | steeper than 74% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $52,725 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 8.5% of outlets | worse than 87% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Decorating Den
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations made. Franchisor does not authorize employees to … We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Decorating Den franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Decorating Den franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $52,725–$73,400, including a $39,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Decorating Den franchise owners make?
- Decorating Den discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Decorating Den franchise fees?
- Decorating Den's FDD discloses a $39,900 initial franchise fee, a 9% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 10% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 9%-7% tiered; 1%-4% NBF contribution; $100/mo technology fee; capped at $55,000/year.
- What is the Decorating Den franchise profit margin?
- Decorating Den discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Decorating Den franchise failure rate?
- 24 outlets ceased operations 2022-2024; declining outlet count (-24 net).
- How many Decorating Den locations are there?
- Decorating Den's FDD reports 211 total outlets, with 18 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Decorating Den have complaints or lawsuits?
- Decorating Den discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Decorating Den franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Decorating Den scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 10% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Decorating Den to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34295-202506-05 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Decorating Den or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.