Most of the best longarm work I have had done is by mail. I have never met ( face to face) the many of the pro's that have done work on my quilts.
I will tell you it seems many LA'ers in my area just want to do Panto's and finding someone local who will do anythng custom is difficult unless you are willing to wait 6-9 months. Many in my area have stopped taking on new customers for custom work.
So even if there are many in the area .. there is still work ot there and opportunity to build a business.