[fjtorres]

There is always room for specialty shops in every product... somewhere.
The question is, in fact, finding the right place for the product/service you specialize in.

The biggest problem facing bookstores is their cash cow has turned generic; the bigh volume movers--the so-called bestsellers--are available everywhere.
Their second biggest problem is that the rest of their product catalog is slow-moving, inventory-clogging, and is readily found online from vendors with enough reach and volume to be able to sell it at way lower prices.

This forces bookstores to sell service more than product.
Note what people who swear by B&M retailers focus on: the experience.
Note what people who swear at B&M retailers focus on: the experience.

If you find the right location and the right staff, you might actually survive opening a bookstore. Even in this climate.
But its not a trivial *if*.