It was TGM's website and their videos that really got me interested in aquascaping.
Their videos are their shop front and cannot be cheap to make. Based on their location, the majority of their clients must visit via the web rather than in person.
Having said that, I love visiting their store and will miss the opportunity to visit now they're closed at the weekends. I can't see me taking a day's holiday to visit. If they only opened one weekend in four.
The ADA gallery in Nigata doesn't appear to be open many days. There's probably little push from ADA to have long opening times.
If we only buy cheap books from Amazon, you can't complain if your local book shop closes. You can buy cheaper from purely on line sellers, but would the hobby be worse off without the value adding services that suppliers such as TGM provide. I think the hobby would be worse off if TGM disappeared.
With plant suppliers, unless they operate a just in time system from the plant growers (or supply culture plants), their holding tanks have to be sterile and have a fast turnover of stock, or you won't provide healthy plants and a good service, particularly to beginners. If you are an expert plant keeper, you may be able to bring plants on quickly in your store. However, if high CO2 is disguising algae issues, you'll only pass this on to the customer and the beginner can end up with an algae outbreak.
I can see why improving your ordering and supply system may help to run a leaner, just in time service, keeping stock to a minimum and helping to ensure you can supply healthy, algae free plants. Hope they have the back office systems to support this.
I've been very pleased with the other suppliers I've bought plants from most recently, but I'll continue to buy from TGM as I do not want them to disappear,