Wow... that is way too high. I can't remember how much I paid, but I went to D.V. Aldus in Vancouver, BC and I bet it couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred at the most or I would have remembered. I know it's not close to you, but here is their contact info.

http://www.canpages.ca/page/BC/vancouver/aldous-d-v-and-co-ltd/1914226.html

A day without laughter is a day wasted- Charlie Chaplin
When wrestling a grizzly bear, you have to keep at it until the bear gets tired, not when you get tired.
1948 Chevy 2-Ton