There has never been a legit LHBS near me. When there was, the owner was an asshole so I never bought anything.
In regards to my "brew day," It might take me 4 hours and 15 minutes. I have nothing fancy, i boil 60 minutes, i let my grains sit in the cooler for 60 minutes, etc etc. The only new gadgets that appeal to me really aren't gadgets. I'm working on understanding my water better. Issues with pH might be what caused some unpleasant brews in the past. If I can correct that, i'm good with my process. It's 4 hours doing something that I want to do that creates a product I use later. Hell, i'm bottling instead of kegging now. That isn't exactly quick. I did decide this week that my days of label peeling are gone. That's not fun.