Yeah, I run into that problem all the time, and I’m not even vegetarian. For example, the last time I was looking for marmite nobody there knew what the fuck I was talking about, let alone where (or if) they stocked it. The same is true for certain types of cheese, vegetables, and (in the Midwest) meat. Eventually I had to learn to be a little more adaptive.
And yes, vegan baked goods are amazing!