Just a heads up; the people at the bike shop probably haven't even heard of flatland, and definitely don't know what a freecoaster is.

im not saying dont support your local bike shop - with out them you may find your self in a pinch with no way out -   but you can also check out
www.flatlandfuel.com
super cool site - only carries the good stuff for flatlanding.   no bs there.

you should fill out your profile info -  like where you live and put your self on the member map  -   that way you can maby find local flatland ppl to check out.
see what's up with the scene in your area. - maby test out a fiew diffrent bikes other ppl ride  and see what feels good.

I just figured out that I like 0 offset forks and 26mm reach stem alot better than my old carp.

Yep - you can learn flatland on any bike with four pegs and a front brake. I don't know what kind of DK you're talking about, but for $25o you might be able to score a sweet deal off eBay. I got back into flatland with $25o. I bought a Ares Force with great flatland parts.

Start by learning a peg wheelie, backwards steam roller, squeaker, mCcircle, g-turn and learn how to get into and out of these tricks. You can learn all of these basics on any bike.

I actually noticed that riders who start with mediocre bikes seem to stick with riding and progress faster than people who start riding with Quamens... It might be because a Quamen with zero-offset requires intensive balance that a beginner won't have. I think it also has to do with not being spoiled and not blaming the bike for hard falls. Just my opinion...
 
So my final advice is to check the sales forum on this site and eBay for a great deal. $25o will get you a nice ride. Take advantage of the people who quit and sell their bikes. Ha.