For years, the dismal classical music situation in New Orleans has forced
me to deal almost exclusively through the Internet - web sites and e-mail.
No record store dealing in classical music in this city is worth wasting
the gas to get to.  I have also been disappointed by CD stores in NYC.
It's my absolutely unscientific, unverified impression that great CD stores
for classical music are sports.  They can pop up absolutely anywhere.

As for the Internet, there are several sites I use regularly.  My two
criteria are price and selection, with selection of greater importance.
There are also sites that I consider "specialist" for stuff released in
the UK or in continental Europe but not in the US.

Steve Schwartz