Well, so much of this is up to you. Like take @rbtdanforth’s advice about oak. I personally think oak has too much of a grain pattern for my tastes, and would never consider it for a picture or map. In fact, in general I don’t like oak at all, and will reach for just about any other hardwood first…I find oak (both red and white) to be kind of ugly.
Basswood is well known for its uniformly light color and ability to take engraving well with good contrast, It’s possible to get basswood blanks at Michael’s for example, they sell a variety of planks and other plaque shapes (shields, rounds, etc).
Cork engraves very dark, IKEA carries a lot of cork mats that are great at engraving.
Again, though, this is up to you as the artist.
On top of that, the main benefit for most people with proofgrade is that it’s prefinished. You’ll find almost nothing that compares in that regard.
For me, I like to prototype in Baltic Birch, and then use higher end materials (like maple for bright white woods, and mahogany/walnut for darker stuff) on items that are decorative.
If I were you I’d decide what materials you like (by seeing what you like here and then trying it out), then order them in advance online. Limiting yourself to what’s local will just tie your hands in a way that isn’t necessary… and besides, going to a retail store in a pandemic is just an unnecessary risk.
Lots of posts about where to get woods, but I like this list from @shollg: