We appreciate you, local comics stores !!
Growing up, I was fortunate to have nearby Flying Colors in Concord, CA... that was the place I bought my Venom #1, my Sinister Six ASMs and vintage Thor (1st Beta Ray Bill!), and Jim Lee's X-Men. Good ol' Copper Age. Even took a pic with Ren & Stimpy outside once; I was young enough to wonder if they were real or not.
Since returning to the Bay Area from a 10+ year sojourn in NYC, I've been more apt to hit up Fantastic Comics in Berkeley via a quick BART ride. Love it ! Jeff makes CGC subbing easy, they always have the latest + greatest Modern selection, with down-to-earth and knowledgeable staff to boot. Most of my pickups there in the past year have been Afterlife with Archie and All-New Wolverine.