The Designery Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a The Designery franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
The Designery discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Part I: 8 locations, median $1.13M accepted contracts. Part II: 33 locations, median 40% proposal conversion. Part III: 8 showroom locations, median 42.61% gross margin.
What a The Designery franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,900 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $223,739 – $463,439 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Blended royalty 7%-5%. Local advertising 3% or $36K annually. Technology $599/mo. Multiple software/fees apply.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
The Designery system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 89 |
| Ceased operations | 2 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 7 |
| Transferred to new owners | 4 |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets |
2025: 7 terminations, 2 ceased ops; Kentucky & Florida underperforming. Early-stage system.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is The Designery worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $223,739 | pricier than 66% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets | about average |
| 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 The Designery
The franchisor's framing: Part I: 8 locations, median $1.13M accepted contracts. Part II: 33 locations, median 40% p… 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
The Designery franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a The Designery franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $223,739–$463,439, including a $59,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do The Designery franchise owners make?
- Part I: 8 locations, median $1.13M accepted contracts. Part II: 33 locations, median 40% proposal conversion. Part III: 8 showroom locations, median 42.61% gross margin. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the The Designery franchise fees?
- The Designery's FDD discloses a $59,900 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Blended royalty 7%-5%. Local advertising 3% or $36K annually. Technology $599/mo. Multiple software/fees apply.
- What is the The Designery franchise profit margin?
- The Designery does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Part I: 8 locations, median $1.13M accepted contracts. Part II: 33 locations, median 40% proposal conversion. Part III: 8 showroom locations, median 42.61% gross margin. Recurring fees alone take about 8% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the The Designery franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 7 terminations, 2 ceased ops; Kentucky & Florida underperforming. Early-stage system.
- How many The Designery locations are there?
- The Designery's FDD reports 89 total outlets, with 2 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 4 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does The Designery have complaints or lawsuits?
- The Designery 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 The Designery franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. The Designery scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare The Designery to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with The Designery or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.