[ begin opinion ]
We may sometimes place too much weight on the dearth of rocketry kits and supplies at hobby shops as an indicator of the health of our hobby, or the ease of pursuing it.
[ begin old fart commentary ]
"Back in my day..." Seriously, I was interested in rockets since I was a little kid. ( I won't expound here on my early R&D days using my dad's reloading supplies.) In roughly 1973 ordered a kit and motors through the mail and made my launch pad from a board, coffee can and a stick of brazing rod from the auto parts store. There were no hobby shops within 40 miles, but that didn't stop me. The last time I bought kits in a hobby shop was roughly 1995, to work with some local kids who were interested.
[ end old fart commentary ]
There's been a huge shift to online purchasing of most everything for a long time. The demise of Circuit City didn't stop me from buying electronics. I get what I want from Crutchfield quickly, and with great support. Same with rocketry stuff. It's convenient to have on-site vendors for motors. But I've spent thousands of dollars online for rocketry stuff over past 15 years or so.
Young people get a taste for the hobby through friends, scouts, and school projects; they may get a college assignment for a L2 cert and rocket. Later, when they have kids they may return again, and perhaps again for grandkids.
There's a saying that fish swim three times - in water, in butter, and in wine. I think something similar is true of rocketeers - some fly in youth, for fun, and for youth. It's just a BAR thing.
[ end opinion ]