FYI, went with the Stumpy 29er. A friend had a used one.
Talking about a win-win
My take, get the one from the shop you like best.
If you like both shops that carry these bikes equally, then get the one that you think looks cooler
Interested to hear what the input is from people who have ridden these bikes though
I've been riding an Epic Comp 29 test bike off and on for about 3 weeks now.