Well said. I'll simply add that my former hometown had a independent electronics store in walking distance. And a felt store, a butcher, several bakeries, a cake store, a store dedicated to umbrellas, another store focusing on gloves, arts supplies stores, a plastics emporium, multiple bookstores, goldsmiths, several supermarkets and department stores, etc. within 1000 yards of my home. I imagine like Harvard square in Cambridge that these specialists are a dying breed even in dense urban centers like Cologne, Germany.
That mail order is a 'necessary evil' for many crafts these days is not surprising. What bothers me, is that while the politicians, etc. do the talking about how we need more engineers, etc. scant little attention is put on what it takes to make the next generation of engineers. Unless you inspire kids to follow into the more difficult footsteps of engineering, you won't restock the ranks of the many inspired by Apollo, etc. to join this profession. Never mind the influence of parents, siblings, friends, and (worst of all) popular media.
Can't say I have seen many inspirational depictions of engineers in the popular media. only 'Apollo 13', "The right stuff', and so on comes to mind. No TV shows other than "how its made" that celebrate hard science or engineering accomplishments regularly.