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There is no Mac App Store in OS X 10.5.8 'Leopard', your current OS version.
And there is no 'download only' solution to get to OS X 10.7 'Lion'.
There currently are two choices:
1) Purchase the OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' Upgrade disc for about US$30, install and update it to at least OS X 10.6.6 (first version offering Mac App Store app). Then you can run the Mac App Store in order to purchase and download OS X 10.7 'Lion' for about US$30 from the Mac App Store.
-OR-
2) Purchase OS X 10.7 Lion loaded on a flash drive (about US$70), and install it, skipping Snow Leopard entirely, without downloading.
You need to know that Apple OS X 10.8, 'Mountain Lion' has been announced for availability very soon ("July") as a download product from the Mac App Store. If you're not in a great hurry to upgrade, you might wait until 10.8 is released to upgrade and avoid the intermediate OS X 10.7 'Lion' upgrade. Note that you STILL need to upgrade to 10.6 'Snow Leopard' to get the Mac App Store, even if you decide to wait for the release of 10.8 Mountain Lion as a download.
OS X10.8 Mountain Lion MIGHT be available on a flash drive, but is currently announced ONLY as a download purchase.
For more information on OS X 10.8, and to see if your Mac meets the 'Mountain Lion' minimum system requirements look here: http://www.apple.com/osx/
(Note that this is a dynamic web link to OS X information. It always points to the version of OS X being marketed today. Last year, it pointed to 10.7 Lion. Whenever a new version of OS X is announced, it will point there.)