Say it ain't so...

Yeah it is. Magnolia HiFi is a chain out of the Northwest US. Nice stores. Best Buy bought them several years ago. If you know any kids that work at Best Buy, they can get some good deals on the stuff.

Yes, BB bought Magnolia. Don't woory, they will run it into the ground soon enough. When was the last time you walked inot a BB and got any kind of service? People who buy "Hi-end" want service, not some young kid ignoring them.

On a side note, Tweeter has been on the edge of Bankruptcy for the last few years. Why should I go to BB to be ingored by a young kid in a blue shirt when I can go to Tweeter and get ingored by a guy in a suit?

Higher volume sales of these higher end products should mean lower prices. And a larger number of these same products on the used market. As long as the quality stays the same.

To add to TIC, I also find that most people working in smaller dealers are also passionate audiophiles, as opposed to big box store salespeople, who at best are barely hi-fi educated. I can foresee people leaving Magnolia believing that the best high end is only in their stores. And, let's not forget, was it not these very same sales people that made the masses believe that everything they sell is "hi-fi"

It seems the positive Ruebent mentions could far outweigh the con. If more people are exposed to and find some interest in the "high-end" it might encourage them to seek out some of the local small dealers. Hopefully, if that happens the small dealers will be smart enough to capitalize.
I haven't been into Best Buy looking for audio in a while so I don't know if any of the above mentioned equipment is available in Indianapolis. I'll have to check it out.