how important is FLGS to discovery

[erloas]

Had started going in a different direction, but I think this is really the important part.

What have you discovered at a FLGS.  Something that you wouldn't have learned about or purchased if you hadn't found it in your FLGS.  Have you found any miniatures based game, board games, terrain, or accessories like paints and tools?  Did you discover it because it was on a shelf, because the owner had some type of demo, or because some other fellow gamer brought it in or told you about what they found.

Also related, if you've found some item you want and decide to pick it up locally to support your FLGS how often do they have it available and how often do they have to special order it for you?

And for the community aspect, are you more likely to find players for a game online and then pick a FLGS to go to and play, or do you tend to meet players first at the shop?

[Covertwalrus]

 I tend to find most miniatures and rules through the Internet these days, but for many supplies like terrain, tools and other such definitely my first exposure is at the FLGS

 And not a fewof the players I meet there as well, rather than clubs at present; the club scene seems to have petered out a bit, maybe along with the trend of people not joining organizations and groups IRL as much as they did even ten years ago.

[Easy E]

Players I use to meet at the club.... until I got my own smaller group together. 

New other stuff is almost all online now.  However, that does not mean that a FLGS does not hav ea big role to play in that via their Social Media and Online presence.

[Landlubber]

I meant to weigh in on this a few weeks ago, but I've been a little tied up recently.

I feel that I've discovered quite a bit of stuff at my local FLGS. I would probably never have discovered DeepWars if I hadn't seen it at Gamer's Haven in Colorado Springs, and I almost certainly wouldn't have discovered Dystopian Wars if I hadn't seen it at Eagle and Empire in Alexandria (and thereby might not have ever gotten into Spartan's other products--Firestorm Armada, Halo Fleet Battles, and Halo Ground Command).

So, at my FLGS (in the various places I've lived), I have:

-found new opponents
-played in friendly tournaments
-been provided a place to play (don't really have anywhere to play miniatures games at my house)
-had discussions about painting, terrain building, modeling, army composition, gaming, movies, books, etc with both other gamers and the game staff
-discovered new games, models, rulebooks, terrain, expansions, etc

I've had a mix of finding what I needed on the shelf and having to have it ordered, but almost all of my ordering experiences have been positive, and I'm a pretty patient gamer so I've never needed something immediately.

To me, a good FLGS is an important part of the tabletop gaming experience, for all the reasons I listed above. Other people's mileage may vary, depending on your tastes.