Some of the aftermarket cases for the STR already on Amazon are much much less expensive than those at BN, and some look better designed, e.g., I had the same objection to the BN Industrial case: I like that it has a flip cover, but the easel holds the STR in too vertical a position for normal reading.
However, there are a few flip covers on Amazon for the STR that seem to hold it at an appropriate slant. and there's a neoprene sleeve for less than $6.
The Amazon search results:
http://amzn.to/kNc44X
Searching on amazon.ca there are several cases for Nook Color-- shouldn't be too long till there's something for the Simple Touch on your side of the border!