I hear you. I understand that touring is a small segment of the bicycling population, but it always seems a shame to me that there's so little attention paid to basic utility cycling. Clearly it's not what people want. It's not what sells, and so it gets little attention. When I bought my first new, complete bike five or so years back, it seemed to somewhat bemuse the sales person that I wanted both a rack and fenders installed on the bike before it even left the store. Even though I was picking items right out of their stock, they seemed a little unsure of why I thought I'd need them. At least now I see fully outfitted commuter bikes with racks and fenders on their sales floor, so things may be improving. And I was shopping there the other day when I overheard a woman talking to the salesman and saying that what she really wanted was to see some options on how to carry things on the bike. Made me smile, and also tempted me to go over and give some input.
I understand that you stock what sells and what there's demand for, but if you also keep in stock items that a bike more useful, then it seems like that would plant the idea in people's heads that their bikes could be more than just toys, which would, in turn, bring them back around to the bike shop sooner than later.
Instead, a lack of options and a lack of knowledge sends me to the internet for information and for purchases. I've been to a number of local bike shops, and if they have what I need, I buy it. But if I have to go hunting, I figure I might as well pay internet prices and get it shipped to my door. I understand the desire to keep a local shop alive and thriving, but if they don't carry the items I need, or have much in the way of useful advice, I guess they aren't "my" local bike shop anyway. I do have fairly good luck at REI, which, being a chain, may or may not fit into some people's definition of "local," and, given their lack of a cycling-only focus, might not even qualify as a bike shop. Nevertheless, when I have found touring/utility gear locally, it's been at REI. Staff knowledge can be hit or miss because they cover all aspects of outdoor life and might not be as well-versed in bike stuff, but they're always friendly and as helpful as possible.
And as for Old Man Mountain, that's what I settled on after a fair amount of research on front rack options. I've been very happy with my front rack, and even though it gets little use in my bike's daily life as a commuter, I can't bring myself to remove it between tours because every now and then it comes in very handy.