My neighbor came over and we dumped a can of refrigerant in it and it seemed to do the trick. Prior to this, the compressor would turn but never got any cold air. Now its running fine. Will keep an eye on it to see how it goes over the summer. When I was in Wally world getting the 134a, I saw kits that included the hose and gauges for less than 30 bucks. You might want to give it a shot, was not a difficult procedure. If it doesnt work you can always bring it in for further service.
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97 S90 with 184K miles still going strong

Of course it depends on how long it's been since it's been serviced, but an intact system ordinarily does not lose coolant. When you have it filled, they should put a dye in it that exposes leaks under blacklite. If it it has a slow leak and there are no visible external signs from the test, then I'm afraid you'll have to look to the evaporator under the dash. Not simple nor cheap.
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John Shatzer, '97 V90 @ 115K

If it just needs a recharge I would expect to pay an hour labor plus refrigerant costs.
If it has issue beyond the basic recharge I would expect an additional hour labor to diagnose and POSSIBLY repair it depending upon the nature of the problem.

Sure you can get it done elsewhere. You could get it done in an independent shop like mine or a non specific independent repair facility or you could take it to a heating and a/c specialty shop and let them look at it. If you look around you see shops advertising $29.00 a/c special with the "refrigerant extra" in the ultra fine print. These are misleading at best and down right bait and switch at the worst. If you go that route I suggest you ask a few questions, get a written estimate, a really figure out what you are getting into before you hand over your car. If I were in your situation I would see if someone on the board had a trusted independent in your area that they could recommend and then I would go see him. If all else fails, bite the bullet and go to your local dealer.

Mark