I've seen my custom client business literally disappear as well. Even those that do attempt to contact stop once they've searched around a bit more. Getting clients used to be easier around 12 months ago, but now the industry has literally shifted to the theme marketplaces and there is no end in sight.

This just means that we, as an industry, need to adapt to the local mom and pop setups that would not mind spending $1k - $5k+ back then but now think $50 is what web design costs.

The downside is that some people contact you and actually expect $50 - $100 prices for custom jobs!?! Seriously.

The upside is that you get to build once and re-sell many times more. Which has proved to be quite profitable for a lot of people.

I still miss the days of creating unique designs for clients though, it used to be quite the rush!