Diving is not huge here in my part of the world.... some think it's too cold
I understand what you're saying 1000% and I agree, and I would NEVER want to own a dive shop, and I never have in the past....so technically my ramblings are that of someone who honestly doesn't have any stake in the game and is just a random person on the interwebs.
With that said, I would be MUCH more inclined to buy stuff at my local shops if they went out of their way to treat me right. Not once have I felt it was about me or my diving and not the sale.... not to mention all the nickel and diming bs. $12 bolt snaps and $10 bottles of defog...come on.
In a perfect world I would think starting a dive club or maybe a group that met at the pub. Maybe have small presentations like I know they do down around DC. Maybe not huge amounts of volume up this way, but make it about diving and the money will trickle in. Make it about money and slowly fade away... no skin off my teeth.