The dive shop that my husband and I go to tends to be a little on the high side on prices for gear so we dont buy the majority of our stuff from them but through leisure pro. That being said, we do try to purchase from them from time to time to help support the shop. All of our rentals are through them and our classes too. We refer anyone we can to them as well. The prices are the only downside, and they are almost double what leisure pro sells for. The best thing about the local dive shop is the quality of the people who work and teach there. They are able to answer any and all questions and are always willing to help. There is no discrimination between the most experienced divers and the newbies or even the curious. You can tell that they love the sport of diving, it is their passion and it shows.
I would say good prices and a staff that really knows a lot about diving would be two major factors keeping the customers happy.