There are a lot of great shops out there including many of FAOL's sponsors- I think the best advice for a beginning tyer if you can't buy in person from a local fly shop, is to buy online from a shop (as opposed to a big box store) that has an 800 number- you can talk directly to someone that ties, tell him/her what you plan to tie and what you're looking for, and they can suggest/pick out the right stuff for you for whatever you're tying. Guys like Ron at Hook and Hackle and Chris Helm at Whitetail Fly Tying and the folks from the other shops already recommended are solid citizens and won't try and up sell you all kinds of stuff.

And to some degree, there are shops and niche vendors/growers that tend to specialize with strong points in some areas and perhaps weaker in others, so if you're looking for something specific, or plan to specialize in specific styles of flies, it's a good idea to ask on the board for recommendations.

mark