I have two LHS's near me in IL. I have Venture Hobbies in Wheeling; they do great business and are EXTREMELY helpful. The only problem is they don't carry all brands, because they go off of customer's opinions of what to carry. Another LHS that I go to occasionally is Al's Hobby Shop, in Elmjurst, a little bit of a drive, but they have large amounts of inventory and parts. I haven't asked them for any help yet, but it looks as if they have their act together. It's interesting to hear all of the stories of people's LHS's.