AR Workshop franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an AR Workshop franchise takes $134,312 – $229,708 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $28,000 – $35,000. To qualify, AR Workshop asks for $50,000 in liquid cash and a $100,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
AR Workshop franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $28,000 | $35,000 | $28,000 to $35,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $134,312 | $229,708 | $134,312 to $229,708 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $134,312 | $229,708 | $134,312 to $229,708 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full AR Workshop cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How AR Workshop's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where AR Workshop's disclosed cost sits against the Education & Arts category:
- Minimum startup cost of $134,312 — about 1.3× the Education & Arts median of $100,538.
- Initial franchise fee of $28,000 — about 37% below the Education & Arts median of $44,750.
Category medians are computed from the Education & Arts brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Education & Arts franchises
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How AR Workshop's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2016–2022: began the window at 0 units; 112 units opened, 22 closed, ending at 123 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for AR Workshop or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask AR Workshop for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether AR Workshop is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether AR Workshop grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only AR Workshop can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the AR Workshop franchise
AR Workshop is an education & arts franchisor with 123 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2016 and 2022, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 112 unit openings and 22 closures, ending at 123 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only).
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchised business being offered is AR WORKSHOP, a boutique DIY creative workshop offering hands-on classes to create customizable home decor pieces and DIY-to-Go Kits.
AR Workshop franchise: quick answers
- How much does an AR Workshop franchise cost?
- $134,312 – $229,708 all-in to open, per AR Workshop's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many AR Workshop units are there?
- 123 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have AR Workshop's units held up?
- 87.8% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).