Once Upon A Child Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Once Upon A Child franchisees defaulted on 3.4% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 87 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores industry average of 9.6%.
- 3.4%SBA default rate3 of 87 loans
- 87loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 9.6%Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 1st lowestindustry rankof 2 Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores brands
| SBA default rate | 3.4% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 87 |
| Loans charged off | 3 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
| Industry average | 9.6% |
| Total initial investment (FDD Item 7) | $355,700–$485,900 |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 29 Once Upon A Child SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores average of 9.6%.
What is the Once Upon A Child franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Once Upon A Child is a Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Once Upon A Child franchisees: 87 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 3 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201987
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate3.4%
- Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchise benchmark9.6%
- Brand vs industry0.3x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$191,197
- New SBA loans since 202067
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Once Upon A Child compare with other Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchises?
The table sets Once Upon A Child's charge-off rate beside its Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Once Upon A Child | Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 3.4% | 9.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 87 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 3 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $191,197 | — | — | — |
What would Once Upon A Child's royalty and ad fund cost at your sales level?
From Once Upon A Child's FDD Item 6 (2026): royalty 5% of sales. Royalty and ad fund only · illustration. Other Item 6 fees, fixed or percentage, and local marketing minimums are not included. Winmark charges no percentage ad fund now; franchisees must spend at least 5% of Gross Sales yearly on cooperative or local advertising, or Winmark may require them to pay the shortfall.
| Annual sales | Royalty |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $12,500 |
| $500,000 | $25,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $100,000 |
What has Once Upon A Child SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Once Upon A Child franchisees have taken 67 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 12 | 2 | 16.7% |
| FY2014 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 11 | 1 | 9.1% |
| FY2017 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 15 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 7 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 16 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 10 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Once Upon A Child's figure rests on 87 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 87 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.1 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Once Upon A Child figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 87 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Once Upon A Child in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Once Upon A Child's SBA 7(a) default rate was 3.4% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (3 of 87 loans charged off) — the lowest of 2 Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores brands tracked here. A default rate this far below the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores average of 9.6% is not, on its own, a sign of distress.
Frequently asked
- What is Once Upon A Child's franchise failure rate?
- Once Upon A Child franchisees defaulted on 3.4% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 87 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores industry average of 9.6%.
- How does Once Upon A Child compare to other Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchises?
- Once Upon A Child's 3.4% SBA default rate is lower than the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores industry average of 9.6%. See every Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchise ranked on the Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores industry page. Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
- How much does a Once Upon A Child franchise cost?
- Once Upon A Child's 2026 FDD puts the total initial investment (Item 7) at $355,700–$485,900, including an initial franchise fee of $25,000 (Item 5). The average SBA 7(a) loan to a Once Upon A Child franchisee in the 2010s cohort was $191,197.
- Who owns Once Upon A Child?
- Once Upon A Child is franchised by Winmark Corporation, according to the brand's FDD (2026).
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Once Upon A Child franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 3.4% (3 of 87 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/once-upon-a-child/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)