RE: does anyone at sportsmans stores have a clue
It won't hurt any laminated bow I know of, as long as it's stored properly. My bows stay strung indefinately--I unstring them when I need to put them in a case and/or travel (except my selfbow).
Back to the title of the thread: usually the answer is "no". Even at the Bass Pro Shops main store in Springfield, MO I saw very little trad gear, and the young men behind the counter knew next to nothing about trad bows. I know there is a knowlegeable guy working at the Bass Pro in Memphis (ask for Murray if you go there) and a manager at the archery dept. of the Bass Pro in OH (forget the town--just across the KY line) knows a good bit (ask for Kevin), and I think there's at least one guy at BP in Nashville (can't remember his name)--but generally speaking, it's hard to find someone that knows much more than the difference in a longbow and recurve.
Simple fact of the matter is the money is in compounds and accessories, so that is what they push and know the most about. The only reason you see a lonesome trad bow here and there is because the sport has been growing a lot. Folks that have a traditional business are generally in it because they love the sport--it's hard to just make a "get-by" living for most, and very few are going to die rich from it. It sure is a lot of fun though!
Chad