I’d love to see a store like that expand into “Maker stuff” that I want, such as 3D printing fiber, laser engraving material, light gauge metals and metal shapes, plastic sheet, and hardware. Some hardware/home improvement stores carry some of these things but there are voids and it’s a hot growth market that is totally unserved in smaller cities.
Maybe Hobby Lobby will buy Joanns and expand into smaller markets.
I’ve seen well equipped “Maker” places come and go in Silicon Valley and in North Idaho. The Maker Fair in San Mateo is always on hard times and comes and goes. Seems to be a niche market where it’s hard to build a sustainable business.
I started making homemade sourdough bread a couple months ago (an offshoot of making great homemade pizza dough). I like using boutique flour brands from small family owned mills, but you cannot find their flours in any store. Thank goodness for web ordering and mail order (well, UPS-order and Fed-Ex order).