In the 1970s and early 80s, the city of Colorado Springs was blessed to have several good hobby shops stocked with model rocket goodies.
I rarely had to buy rocket kits, motors, or supplies via mail order simply because we could get it all from the local brick and mortar establishments.
Such places as Custom Hobbies, Ru-Jan Party and Hobby, Levine's, Miniature World, and Hobby Hub carried everything a respectable rocketeer of that era needed.
Besides the abundant products of the popular Estes and Centuri lines, we even had access to Flight Systems, Inc. And Competition Model Rockets products right off the shelf at a couple of the local stores.
That means in a single afternoon of driving about town, one could pick up that new Cineroc here, and a Laser-X kit there.
Across town could be found a CMR dual egg capsule and a Manta boost/glider kit for that upcoming contest.
Oh, and maybe pick up a couple F100 motors a few miles further down the road, for that big bird at home on the workbench.
Ahh, them was the good ol' days.....