Firstly, I think the pond store here is probably much better than you're imagining. They have some gorgeous, large koi, several ponds, and lots of equipment. Secondly, I've been reading the stickies, archives, and browsing the forum for a long time. I can take a short break from it, rush to the pond store, then come back for more reading.
Seeing how some of the filtration works first hand would be a big help when I'm poring over all the schematics on this forum. And, I'd like to see what they carry in the way of pumps and filters. I understand this forum is a wealth of knowledge, and I'd definitely take the consensus opinion here over that of any one person at my pond store. I'm still in the very early planning stages.