John Hiller says it with pride: Even a barricaded street couldn't keep readers away.

When highway construction a few years back blocked off his bookstore, Browsers Uncommon Books, folks parked from afar to walk through his door.

"At that period, 80 percent of my customers kept coming through," the Coeur d'Alene store owner touted.

And yet, sales have started to slide since last year.

Maybe some customers moved away, he thinks.

Or it could be something more. More folks downloading e-books, perhaps, or going to big box stores.

Or maybe folks just aren't reading.

"This is a marginal business, so even small falls are important," Hiller said.

Bookstores are feeling a squeeze these days.

With the barrage of alternatives like online bookselling, downloading electronic books, and shopping at warehouse stores, independent bookstores could seem obsolete.

And with Borders declaring bankruptcy this week, it begs the question: If the big guys can't make it, what is the future of the small bookstore?

Opinions vary.

"I think they will always be around," Hiller said. "They may come back as people start to reject the empty corporate world."

As of May, Browsers will have clocked 25 years peddling used books, Hiller said.

A lot of it is used book prices, he said, and loyalty. Folks who grew up scouring his shelves still return.

There's also the atmosphere of the cozy, book-filled shop, Hiller said, adding that he sells far more in store than online.

"People like to handle the books, see the books," said Hiller, whose store is named for his ideal customers. "Some people even like the smell of it."

He recognizes the myriad other book sources, though.

And he wonders how popular the written word even is these days.

"The newer generations are losing touch with the classics, and even classical values," he said. "That's a problem."

The small bookstore business model is on its way out, said Jon Zucker, owner of Spirit Lake Books and Coffee Cafe.

The answer, he believes, is in the name of his business. Providing more than books.

"You have to diversify," Zucker said. "You can't just offer books or you'll go under."

His shop includes an Internet cafe, allowing access to ebooks. Baked goods keeps income rolling in, he added.

"We don't sell a tremendous amount of books, but we have the best bagels in the entire world," he said.

How could they hope to sell just books, he pointed out, considering the competition of Amazon.com and the prices at Walmart and Costco?

"These huge conglomerates have the money to buy 20,000 titles," he said.

Just the nature of reading is changing, said Claudia Wohlfeil, secretary/treasurer with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association.

People are reading more than ever, she acknowledged - but not books.

Instead, their eyes are glued to Twitter posts, e-mails, Facebook updates.

"People are on their computers all the time," she said.

She sees independent bookstores trying to keep up in different ways. For instance, a program through the American Booksellers Association allows stores to sell ebooks on their websites.

But she believes bookstores will stay relevant because of their old-fashioned qualities.

"They are a community meeting place, where you go and meet your friends, and booksellers know your name and remember what you like to read," Wohlfiel said. "Sure, Amazon will recommend you something based off past purchases. But there's a disconnect there, something missing when you don't have the human component."

Scott Blomquist kneeled to inspect a book cover in Browsers on Thursday afternoon.

Used books are cost effective, the pastor said, adding that he has patronized the store for a couple of years.

"It's just nice to go into a bookstore," Blomquist said of why he didn't shop online.

Reading electronic books isn't the same, he added.

"Some say books will completely go away, maybe that's one day. But I'd rather have the book," he said. "We're in a convenient digital age, which isn't always good. With all the technology, are we closer to humanity? I don't think so."

Debbi Cooke, a Coeur d'Alene school nurse, searched the shelves for a book for a student.

A store crammed with books is a comforting place, she said.

"I love to hold a book and smell a book and be in a bookstore," she said with a smile. "To me, the sensory experience of holding a book in your hand is really important."

If everyone just bought one more book a year from independent bookstores, Wohlfeil said, the shops would survive.

"I hope that there will be a point when we kind of go back to renaissance time with books, and people take that electronic overload and say, 'Enough is enough,'" she said. "There's nothing like sitting in a warm, comfortable chair with hot cocoa or coffee and reading a great book. I hope we as a society move back to that."