Yes, bias tape is easy to make in any width if you just rig yourself a little cardboard pressing tool, and it's MUCH cheaper than premade. (Or you can buy a little metal/plastic bias tape tool if you prefer, but I like heat-resistant cardboard because I can put my iron right on top of it.)
My favorite trick is to sew the fabric into an offset tube shape and just keep cutting with my rotary cutter for yds and yds. A full bolt of wide white broadcloth will net you about enough bias tape for a lifetime unless you're a really prolific quilter. 1 yard of fabric will generate close to 20 yards of binding this way. (FWIW, I don't quilt at all, but I do use a lot of narrow binding & piping on Hong Kong seams and utility items.)
Hancocks was my favorite fabric store of the big chains. I still have items in the stash that I bought when they went out of business nearly 10 years ago. FWIW, if you quilt, one last member of the Hancock family is still in the business, having split his store off from the chain when the family sold in the early 1990s, and narrowed its specialty to quilting. It's called Hancocks of Paducah, and is located in, you guessed it, Paducah, KY. It's HUGE; 60,000 sq. ft of floor space.
I'm something of a fabric tourist; I make it a point to seek out unique fabric stores wherever I travel. For NYC I'll fly SWA and bring an extra rolling suitcase, but most of the rest of my indulgence happens on road trips. One of my favorite destinations is a small chain located in Michigan, called Field's Fabrics; they have a lovely large selection of both apparel and decor fabrics at very nice prices. I snagged 3 very nice pieces of printed jersey 3 weeks ago for summer work tops, purchased on a break from watching DD compete near there.
I have a friend who likes to go on craft retreats; they are definitely a thing, along with quilting and knit/crochet events. I'm not huge on sewing as a social activity; I tend to get into a "zone" while sewing, and I resent being interrupted. Costume stoning, however, is a great activity to mix with socializing; provided no one gets too high from the glue fumes!