Glad to have you back in the hobby! Things have changed a lot in the modelling world in the last ten years or so, and one thing in particular is that hobby shops are pretty much few and far between! If you can find a good one locally, then that's fine, and you should get to know them as a customer. But chances are, there just
aren't any nearby, and certainly there is no shop that I have come across that has access to everything that is out there. As a result, many of us buy our stuff online, either through one of the big model outfits (squadron.com, tower hobby, free time hobbies, etc, etc), or ebay.com. In most cases, you can get just about anything at any time, and at a cheaper price than a hobby shop (which is why there are so few of them any more!). In any case, to get started up once again, it is probably a good idea to look for one or two of those good ol' Airfix kits in 1/600 scale as good and solid foundations to begin with, and these can be had for pretty cheap money. Don't forget your glues, paint and putty, and my recommendation is to just have at it with a couple cheap kits until you get your knack for handling small parts and painting back. oubtless, there will be many other suggestions from others as well, but remember, the internet is a fabulous resource for materials, techniques, photos, and advice too, all free, gratis, and for nothing......