I worked a brand theme bike shop for a time. Everything we got that was themed was at a substantial lower cost than MSRP and made good money on those items when and if they sold.
Otherwise, ALL of the rest of the off brand items we purchased were through a distributor that any/all bike shops use. I know there to be a couple (can't recall the name) that would be well recognized among shop owners and such...anyway...the pricing for those wasn't significantly better than what could readily be found online, yourself. IMO the coolest aspect was the big color catalog with all the parts in it, no web searching. But, anyway, the money being made on those parts wasn't specifically keeping the door open. It was value added and the opportunity to charge some shop time installing, etc.
I personally try to support privately owned bike shops when and where I can, in spite of price. Unfortunately for this area there are none that I am currently aware of to spend with.