What do you look for in a "home" LBS?
I'm fortunate in having several bike shops within a 10-15 mile distance from my home. One shop I've taken our two vintage bikes to, for getting them ready to be on the road. Mine came back in very good shape; the other I'll be picking up on Thursday; so far, I like their mechanics. The owner of another shop which is very convenient to my job has an unimpressive reputation with a couple of cyclist friends but seems to have a wide selection of bikes and gear. One tiny shop seems to have more in the way of shoes, clips, pedals and clothing. They advertise their own riding club, while other shops have riding events. One or two other shops have serious Attitude. A couple are more corporate -- Performance Bike, Trek Bicycles -- along with REI, ****'s Sporting Goods, and like that.
What do you look for in a "home" LBS? How important is it to have a "single-shop" loyalty? I'm guessing it's a poor idea under most circumstances to buy a whole bike online, but parts and pieces are okay, yes?