Welcome to the Pentax side of things !
I have never heard of the new vs old K-7 and wouldnt in the least worry about it. There is always turnover and a lot of friends have K7s without issues.
I too used to have an AE-1 program, not bad but digital is the way to go, yes but good or bad you will definitely spend more time in front of a computer.
One thing Pentax has and i believe over the others, is their devotion to primes, pancakes and limited lenses. They are all up there with the best.
As for shops, the worlds your oyster, the internet brings everyone closer.
Cheers Neil