First off, Dymond hobby is no longer open for retail in San Diego and probably the most popular shop in SD is Discount Hobby near Miramar Marine Base. I have found some great shops in the greater LA basin area, Hobby People is not one of them. Not to bash HP too badly but they are understocked and run by kids and or retired grumpy old men who could care less about customer service. In Orange county, which is South of LA, Gyro Hobby is a newly revamped store and has a great stock of planes, engines and accessories. I also like Pegasus Hobby which is East of LA on the way to Ontario. I have been to many other smaller shops in LA but they were not very well stocked. I'm sure you LA guys will add your favorites to this list.