A music shop opened in my suburb about a year ago and I've dropped in a couple of times and chatted with the owner. I think he's retired from whatever it is he used to do and he told me he actually owns the building it's in, so his costs are low. He's got a fair selection of guitars, amps, pedals, some basses, various other instruments, and accessory bits and bobs… but the honest truth is that while I would be willing to pay a bit extra to buy something there rather than order it, I don't spend much money on gear and what I would be interested in is stuff he hasn't got. Last time I went in I bought a secondhand strap for eight quid and asked about a GK MB200 he had in, which I don't need nearly enough to buy one. So, you know, it's nice to have a local music shop and good luck to him but it's not going to survive on the custom of people like me.