Uptown Cheapskate franchise
2026 filing · April 10, 2026Shares sales figures
Uptown Cheapskate at a glance
A resale store that buys and sells gently used and new clothing, shoes and accessories for teens and young adults. At the end of 2025 there were 162 Uptown Cheapskate locations in the US, 148 franchised and 14 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2008
- 18 years of selling franchises
- First location
- 2009
- Franchisor based in
- North Salt Lake, Utah
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $364K–$682K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 0.5%
- 0.5% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of the then-current initial franchise fee
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 162
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 148
- Company-owned
- 14
From Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Uptown Cheapskate among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Uptown Cheapskate | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $523,115 | Costs more than 66% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 162 | More than 83% of franchises |
How much a Uptown Cheapskate franchise costs
Opening one Uptown Cheapskate costs an estimated $364,015 to $682,215. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are real estate improvements ($35,000 to $170,000) and opening inventory ($75,000 to $110,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Travel and Lodging Expenses while Training | $1,500 | $7,000 | |
| Real Estate Deposit | $4,500 | $33,000 | |
| Real Estate Improvements | $35,000 | $170,000 | |
| Exterior Signs and Graphics | $10,000 | $21,000 | |
| Interior Signs | $2,000 | $4,500 | |
| Trade Fixtures Computers, Scanners | $75,000 | $105,000 | |
| Credit Card Machines, Routers, Cables, I-Pads, etc. | $22,715 | ||
| BaseCamp Software Suite | $15,000 | ||
| Security Camera System | $2,000 | $8,000 | |
| Grand Opening Promotion | $20,000 | ||
| Opening Inventory | $75,000 | $110,000 | |
| Incorporation Documents | $300 | $1,500 | |
| Loan Fees Licenses, Permits, Utility | $0 | $25,000 | |
| Deposits | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Supplies, Hangers, Misc. Expenses | $25,000 | $35,000 | |
| Additional Funds [initial period] 3 months | $40,000 | $67,500 | |
| Total | $364,015 | $682,215 | |
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
Uptown Cheapskate franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 0.5% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| BaseCamp Software Suite | $15,000 |
| Renewal Fee | 25% of the then-current initial franchise fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 13 and 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 16–18. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Uptown Cheapskate publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, page 56
SBA loans to Uptown Cheapskate franchisees
Lenders approved 116 SBA-backed loans for Uptown Cheapskate franchisees from 2011 to 2026, $52.7M in all: 114 7(a) loans and 2 504 loans. Of the 41 that have ended, 38 were paid in full and 3 were charged off (7.3%). The other 75 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Uptown Cheapskate compares
Of the 16 resale franchises on this site, Uptown Cheapskate is the most expensive to open and the 5th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Uptown Cheapskate | Typical resale brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $364K | $300K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $682K | $436K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $25K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 0.5% | 1% | 2% |
| US locations | 162 | 115 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +49.5% | +6.9% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 15 of 16 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 16 brands in resale franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 83 (+4) | 13 |
| 2022 | 99 (+16) | 14 |
| 2023 | 116 (+17) | 13 |
| 2024 | 129 (+13) | 14 |
| 2025 | 148 (+19) | 14 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 79 to 148 (+69, +87%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, page 68
2021–2022: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2024 filing, page 48
Who owns Uptown Cheapskate?
Uptown Cheapskate franchises are sold by Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC. It is a subsidiary of BaseCamp Franchising, LLC.
From Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 9.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 12. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 12
Uptown Cheapskate filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Uptown Cheapskate Franchise System, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 10, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 10, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other resale franchises
All resale franchises
Uptown Cheapskate is also on these lists: retail franchises.