RE: LHS Rant!
The primary goal of any business is to make a profit, pure and simple. If you stray from that focus, you won't be in business for long. Hobby shops are no different than the auto dealership or the grocery store, profit is the goal. How much of a profit and how it's made, is what makes the difference in a good shop vs a bad one. Stores have to stock what sells and to a hobby shop, that is even more imperative due to the rapidly changing technology, product mix and customer base. You have to know your customers and what they're going to buy. What was hot last month is collecting dust on your shelves today and next month it will be something else. RC Cars and BNF/PNP foamie electrics are hot now, so the owner is going to stock what sells quickly and allows them to restock and get in the newest releases. This hobby is rife with guys with the "gotta have the latest and greatest" syndrome and if you don't sell it to them while they are in the store, they'll buy it from your competitor or just go online. Like it or not, impulse buys are a large component of retail hobby sales and the reason many only allow returns for store credit.
As noted above, hobby shops are not philanthropic organizations or museums. If you feel that you know the magic formula for the "perfect" hobby shop, then by all means invest your time and money into that dream. I am a builder myself, but right now, spending time with my 3 year old is far more important than carving balsa and ply. She's only going to be a child once and the wood airplane kits can wait. For now, it's ARFs, foamies and the occasional RTF bought from CL or the classifieds.