I agree with others to ultimately go with your gut. The fact that you are asking this question speaks to a deeper question you have as to whether you're focusing on the right things. I understand that question, I do it, too! Sounds like you're looking in the right places. Time will tell if it's a good fit.
As an armchair sociologist, I find "tribes" very interesting. Little did I know one of the most fascinating case studies I'd every come across in my life would come out of my decision to get certified as a diver. =-)
I'll start with the caveat that I'm barely across the starting line in this adventure -- finished PADI OW classes, pool in November, and open water dives/skills in a weekend in December. We are headed to Cozumel TOMORROW where I'll then instill myself fully by diving all week (hopefully). But even at this early stage, I'm obsessed. I love the theory. The gear. The exploration. I see this as the start of a long, long relationship with the water (warm and cold)!
As a result, I've spent a lot of time at the LDS or with a core group of people at dive club meetings, or extra pool sessions (not to mention ScubaBoard and Facebook). Spending money. Hanging out. Wasting time. Listening to people talk about gear and experiences. Lots of great people. Some blowhards, some show offs. Some people with huge passions, really big hearts and a desire to share this common interest.
The dive shop, in my opinion, could really need a good cleaning, a good overhaul of organization and a redesign by a person who has an eye towards merchandising and marketing. That's to put it nicely, but then again I tend toward the Type-A personality that strives for order and structure. The rental gear is in a semblence of order. The stuff you ask for can be found. The work areas are moderately organized. The "classroom" doubles as storage and party room which I think is the biggest image problem for me, still.
But they have the gear I need/want (or they can get it). I've seen them steer me toward something based on fit and function versus cost (and this was when I had my eye on the more expensive candy). I'm coming to trust them. Averaging my purchases out, I'm paying about the same as the lower end of online sellers. I'm happy to pay that or a little more because I know the overhead costs of running a traditional retail store, and I value their presence and service, and want to keep them around. They are a shop with a long history and no horror stories to be heard, or at least not that I've heard. They are spoken well of by other shops in area. Etc. The trust I have has developed over time, and continues to develop. It doesn't hurt that I really like the guys that own/run it.
On the one hand, I think they'd sell more if it were "fancier." But then again, would I come in and hang out as much if it was fancier? And if I didn't, would I have bought as much? Would I have made the connections that now make me feel almost guilty when I go with a friend in a nearby city to his dive shop? Would I feel like I was just going to a store, instead of feeling like I do which is almost like I've entered this whole new family of people?
