The Great Frame Up is a retail custom-framing system: a trained team consults with consumers or business accounts, records the design and order, completes or coordinates framing, and handles pickup, delivery, or installation. The 2026 FDD covers original and showroom stores, with Franchise Concepts, Inc. controlling standards, approved inputs, marketing, technology, reporting, and inspections.
- Legal franchisor
- Franchise Concepts, Inc.; The Great Frame Up is its d/b/a division.
- Disclosure basis
- U.S. FDD issued April 1, 2026.
- Formats analyzed
- Original store, showroom store, and the Market Unit Addendum path.
- Contract sections used
- Items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20; Exhibits D and E.
- Item 20 period
- Calendar years 2023–2025; outlet status at December 31, 2025.
- Official pages checked
- July 28, 2026.
FDD citations use the 2026 document’s Items, agreement articles, and printed pages. No verified franchise-controlled public FDD link was identified.
Source: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 12, 15 and 20, pp. 1–2, 24–25, 29 and 34–38.
What does a The Great Frame Up unit sell, and who buys it?
The required core is framing services, custom framing services, related wall décor, and gift cards. Approved artwork, prints, frames, accessories, ready-made frames, photo services, design consultations, and commercial framing may extend the offer, but availability varies by store and each item remains subject to Franchise Concepts, Inc. approval.
Consumer projects
Individuals bring artwork, photographs, diplomas, memorabilia, needle art, keepsakes, and three-dimensional objects for design and preservation. Official pages also describe conservation materials, framed memories, ready-made frames, and optional photo restoration or visualization.
Business accounts
Commercial customers may buy custom framing, pre-framed art, consultation, pickup, delivery, installation, repairs, and presentation or signage framing where the store participates. Projects include awards, staff photographs, corporate history displays, and multi-piece installations.
Digital and gift channels
The brand website routes shoppers to store pages, gift cards, quote requests, and online art. The FDD says website orders are fulfilled by an unrelated third party and credited under store-page or geographic referral rules, not unrestricted franchisee e-commerce.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 12 and 16, pp. 12–13, 24–25 and 29; official products and services; official framing services; official business-framing services; official gift-card channel.
How do the original store and showroom store differ?
The original store is the principal retail and production base. A showroom store uses reduced inventory and equipment because framing is performed in the franchisee’s main store; it is offered to existing franchisees and can be developed through the Market Unit Addendum with one full store and two showroom stores.
| Format | Customer-facing function | Production dependency | System position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original store | Consultation, ordering, retail display, customer pickup, and framing operations. | Holds the fuller equipment and inventory package used to execute framing work. | Standalone franchise format and the required full-store base under an MUA. |
| Showroom store | Customer consultation, design, ordering, and a reduced retail presentation. | Framing is completed off-premises in the franchisee’s main store. | Available to an existing franchisee; one showroom was included in the 2025 Item 20 population. |
A showroom is not disclosed as an independent substitute for the original store. Its workflow depends on main-store production, and the Market Unit Addendum requires separate Franchise Agreements and approved locations.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 1–2; Item 7 notes, pp. 9–10; Item 20, p. 34; Exhibit E, Market Unit Addendum §§1–6.
How does a framing order move through the unit?
Demand moves through an in-person or approved off-site consultation, becomes a tracked point-of-sale order, draws on approved materials and production capacity, ends with pickup or optional delivery and installation, and then enters Franchise Concepts, Inc.’s reporting and audit controls.
Demand and inquiry
- Actor
- Franchisee team, Marketing Fund, customer, or business account.
- Action
- Local advertising, brand web pages, store locator, referral activity, gift cards, and approved commercial outreach generate a visit, inquiry, or consultation request.
- System/asset
- Approved creative, individual store page, storefront, and optional off-site sample kit.
- Output
- A customer project enters the store or an approved consultation channel.
Consultation and design
- Actor
- Trained designer or manager with the customer.
- Action
- The team asks about the object, décor, display location, preservation needs, and preferences, then recommends approved frames, mats, glazing, mounting, or related wall décor.
- System/asset
- Design counter, samples, approved catalog, and optional Visualize preview where offered.
- Output
- An approved design and customer authorization to proceed.
Order and work record
- Actor
- Store employee or manager.
- Action
- The team creates the quote or order, records the sale, identifies materials and due-date dependencies, and maintains the customer record required by the System.
- System/asset
- LifeSaver point-of-sale software, approved hardware, receipt printer, cash drawer, catalog computer, and high-speed connection.
- Output
- A tracked work order tied to inventory, purchasing, production, and reporting.
Materials and fabrication
- Actor
- Framer, trained employee, approved supplier, and main-store team for showroom orders.
- Action
- Approved moulding, matboard, glazing, backing, hardware, artwork, or accessories are selected or ordered, then assembled under Policy & Procedures Manual standards.
- System/asset
- Approved inventory and equipment; a Wizard mat cutter is recommended, not required.
- Output
- Completed framing ready for quality review.
Completion and handoff
- Actor
- Store team and customer; delivery or installation personnel where offered.
- Action
- The store tracks the artwork, notifies the customer when ready, explains care, and completes pickup or approved delivery and installation.
- System/asset
- Order record, customer contact data, packaging, hardware, and optional delivery assets.
- Output
- Customer acceptance and completed transaction record.
Reporting and review
- Actor
- Franchisee or manager and Franchise Concepts, Inc.
- Action
- The unit submits weekly gross-sales information, monthly profit-and-loss statements, and year-end financial statements on the FDD timetable.
- System/asset
- POS data, prescribed forms, books and records, ACH, inspections, and audit rights.
- Output
- Royalty, Marketing Fund, and compliance administration.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 6, 8 and 11, pp. 6–7, 12–13 and 17–23; Franchise Agreement Arts. V, IX and X, pp. 7–15; official customer-to-completion process.
What does the owner do, and can the store be manager-run?
The franchisee need not personally supervise the store, so a manager-run structure is possible. The business must be directly supervised on-premises by a trained manager, while the franchisee remains responsible for compliance, records, staffing, customer service, purchasing, marketing, and financial obligations.
The FDD supports a manager-run structure, not unrestricted hands-off ownership. The manager must be trained and on-premises; each person with at least a 5% ownership interest, plus that person’s spouse, signs the required guaranty.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 11 and 15, pp. 22–23 and 29; Franchise Agreement Arts. IV and V, pp. 6–10.
Which suppliers and systems are mandatory?
Equipment, software, supplies, and inventory must meet Franchise Concepts, Inc. specifications, and inventory or equipment purchases must use approved vendors unless a new source receives written approval. LifeSaver is the required operating system; the Wizard mat cutter is recommended, not mandatory, and insurance may come from any acceptable source.
The National Vendor Program is an approved-source framework, not an affiliate supply chain. The FDD says no affiliate derives revenue from required purchases and identifies the POS system as the only required operating purchase or lease, while inventory and equipment still remain subject to approval.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 6, 8 and 11, pp. 6–7, 12–13 and 19–21; LifeSaver’s official framing-POS features; Wizard International’s official equipment overview.
What does the franchisor control, and what remains local?
Franchise Concepts, Inc. controls approved offerings, specifications, suppliers, store appearance, operating methods, trademarks, advertising, technology access, reporting, inspections, and corrections. The franchisee controls local hiring, scheduling, customer relationships, approved vendor-term negotiation, local advertising placement, and daily execution within those limits.
- Customer work
- Consult, quote, sell, frame, notify, resolve complaints, and complete pickup or optional field service.
- People
- Hire, schedule, train locally, and maintain trained on-premises supervision.
- Local choices
- Select an approved site, negotiate vendor terms, choose approved assortment depth, and place approved advertising.
- Standards
- Revise the Policy & Procedures Manual, product specifications, store standards, and operating methods.
- Marketing
- Administer the Marketing Fund, control creative allocation, approve local materials, and mandate programs.
- Compliance
- Inspect stores, evaluate products, access data, audit records, and require corrections or upgrades.
- Approved vendors
- Supply approved inventory, materials, equipment, and services.
- Technology providers
- Support LifeSaver, hardware, connectivity, backup, and optional equipment.
- Online fulfiller
- Fulfill website orders credited or referred under the FDD’s channel rules.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 6, 8 and 11; Franchise Agreement Arts. IV, V, VIII, IX and X; official franchise support and marketing page.
Does the three-mile area prevent all competition or online sales?
No. The FDD says the franchisee receives no exclusive territory, although Franchise Concepts, Inc. generally will not place another dedicated The Great Frame Up store within the three-mile radius while the franchisee is not in default. Acquisition, other-brand, alternative-distribution, franchisor-order, and approved internet rights remain outside that protection.
The franchisee may accept orders outside the radius but cannot independently use internet or alternative channels except as the manual permits. Franchise Concepts, Inc. can accept orders in the area, while current website rules may credit a linked or geographically closest store.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 24–25; Franchise Agreement Art. VI, pp. 9–10; official brand website and store locator; official store-search channel.
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
The system was entirely franchised at each year-end from 2023 through 2025. Year-end franchised outlets moved from 55 to 54 to 52, while company-owned outlets remained at zero; the 2025 table reported no openings, no terminations, no non-renewals, no reacquisitions, and two outlets that ceased operations for other reasons.
Item 20 shows a franchisee-operated network with a three-year reduction of three year-end outlets and no company-owned operating base.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1 and 3, pp. 34–36; December 31, 2025. Reconciliation: 52 franchised + 0 company-owned = 52 total.
The central mechanism converts artwork, an object, or a business project into an approved design, tracked work order, fabricated presentation, and completed handoff. The franchisee’s responsibility is execution through a trained on-premises manager. The strongest dependency is Franchise Concepts, Inc.’s control of offerings, suppliers, standards, LifeSaver data, marketing, reporting, and inspections. A showroom depends on the main store for production. The largest undisclosed question is how the current Policy & Procedures Manual allocates web orders, production timing, optional services, and staffing.