I saw the exact same situation before. We were looking to make few custom pieces for our apartment and found a guy, in his early 50s, who did an incredible job.

I saw the exact same situation before. We were looking to make few custom pieces for our apartment and found a guy, in his early 50s, who did an incredible job. I also chatted with him and he too was complaining that the client stream is dwindling. His (and probably your dad's) problem is that he was still grasping at straws and willing to have the old world order back. He was longing to build custom kitchens that serve more to demonstrate his woodworking skills rather than to appeal to modern taste. He was also (erroneously) considering middle class to be his ideal clientele. The solution is right there on the surface. You can't compete with IKEA, so don't. You've got unique skill and it can be applied to make unique pieces. For those who do not shop at IKEA and find the quality of "affordable Swedish crap" simply appalling. For people who don't really mind paying 2-5-10x the IKEA prices to get exactly what they want and in quality they want. It's the top of the market, but that's exactly where the demand for high-quality custom work is prevalent. Also, the focus should really be not on the intricacy of the work, but on quality. The reason being is that the taste of carpenter is not likely to be aligned with the taste of someone needing a piece for his minimalist penthouse loft. The fancier the design, the more it detracts for the quality angle. So if you are to build your dad a portfolio site, make sure to feature either simple, but casual things or something that is clearly there to demonstrate the skill and not the design. ... it may sound like I ramble, which I am, but it was painful to talk to our carpenter and see how helpless and lost he essentially was in modern reality. You are in a position to help your dad, if not with anything else but your understanding how the Internet works and how it can be used for self-promotion. Do it, dude. Stop day-dreaming and build him a simple tasteful site (e.g. square space). Go from there.