You might not think of urgent-care centers, where you can come in off the street for quick treatment of a flu or stomach ache, as retail outfits. After all, they don’t sell clothing, makeup, auto parts, or other actual products the way classical retailers do.

But Justin Irizarry does think of it that way. Irizarry, the co-founder and CFO of OrthoNOW, which touts itself as “the nation’s only network of orthopedic urgent care centers,” feels that location is what makes the firm’s franchise operations akin to retailers.