Maybe the trick is to think outside the mass consumer box. My small town (pop 30,000) has a electronics parts store (part of a regional chain of 5 in Tennessee

Maybe the trick is to think outside the mass consumer box. My small town (pop 30,000) has a electronics parts store (part of a regional chain of 5 in Tennessee) that seems to do well catering to contracters in electronic-related fields (security, A/V, electricians, medical, etc). So, when I shop there, there's a different feel and more paperwork than a consumer-level store like Rat Shack. (Also free popcorn.) But they still have shelves and shelves, and bins and bins of board-level parts. Just look at these pics. http://shieldselectronics.com/bpics.htm http://shieldselectronics.com/bpics.htm