Sure; that's one place to check out if they are nearby. I've been an REI member for about forever, and buy something(s) from them routinely, but the closest one to me is in the 'burbs about 3 hours East of here. Haven't set foot in one since we moved away from the Tacoma area.

There may be other retailers / specialty shops in your area that are worth checking out also. Even here in the cornfields there are 2 "serious" shops with great staff and a couple more with good equipment and nice but usually ignorant staff.

FWIW, we get BSA discounts at both of the locally owned retailers and one national chain... works out to an even better deal than an REI dividend.

So I suggest you check your local Yellow pages and if it appears there are some local stores, spend a nice day with your wife checking out ALL of them before you purchase. It's even better than wandering around a hardware store...

Regards,

Tom