The local stuff was all made-to-order, and I was able to see examples of the designer/builder's work by visiting local retail/studio spaces, and then commission custom work based on their existing designs.
A large part of my willingness to purchase something custom/one-off is based on having examples and history of quality product being produced by that designer/manufacturer.
If things are one-off cut (or assembled) by crowd-sourced people, then I'm unlikely to have much faith in the end-result. On top of this, seeing is very much believing, and (I might be unusual in this) I really need to see design in person before I'll commit.
I don't see how it's possible to separate responsibility for design from responsibility for production. When I buy a brand-name or local designer's work, it's their brand that is associated with the produced product. The same exists in electronics -- foxconn might assemble Apple's iPhones, but Apple's name is riding on the quality.
If this relationship is broken up, why would I pay premium design prices for custom designed furniture that is CNC-cut by crowd-sourced production houses and shipped to me for assembly? If I'm not paying premium design prices, how would a designer be able to afford spending time designing a custom piece of furniture for me?