What sort of bike are you looking for? I had these folks build me a custom bike a few years ago: https://www.acmebicycleco.com/ and I loved every part of dealing with them.
They also did some custom work on my commuting bike (which involves quite a hodgepodge of fender/brake compromises) which was 10x better than I could do myself.
My problem is mainly with looking for specific components.
I want a decent commuter with belt drive and higher end components. Disc brakes.
I can get the cheap versions of this all day but not really the best stuff unless I possibly order it built by Maxx or get a Riese & Müller e-bike. Still looks like waiting until at least April though.
If you are comfortable/familiar with wrenching - it is often cheaper to build a bike yourself. It can be a pain - but in this situation I think it is the next best option.
One of the bike shops I had contacted suggested it, since a lot of shops around the country have a good stock of parts and you can usually find a nice used frameset online.
There's also a problem with component availability. If you just want a fixie or a frankenbike it's okay but for anything else be prepared to wait and compromise. I just managed to order the last components I need for the bike I'm building this year. I had to compromise a bit, mix hubs drivetrain components
from several Shimano lineups, past and current. The frame was preordered and paid in full in June, it should have arrived in August, finally got it in October.
They also did some custom work on my commuting bike (which involves quite a hodgepodge of fender/brake compromises) which was 10x better than I could do myself.