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Mae’s Wooden Music Box
MAE HOLLOWAY · STOWE, VERMONT
A Music Box Mae Made From the Trees Around Her Cabin
Mae Holloway spent thirty years as a furniture restorer in Vermont, working with old maple and cherry from barns and demolition sites. She started making music boxes eight years ago from the offcuts she couldn’t bear to burn. Each box is cut, fitted, and tuned in the same converted shed where she once stripped the lacquer off inherited sideboards.
Four songs: Lullaby, Swan Lake, Für Elise, Amazing Grace. Mae chose them because they work in quiet rooms — rooms where someone is winding down, or reading, or just sitting. The song is not decoration. It’s the reason you reach for the key.
“Every piece of wood has a note in it. You just have to cut it to the right length.”
Mae Holloway, furniture restorer & music box maker, Stowe, VT
WHY THIS PIECE
Three Details Worth Noticing
Vermont hardwood, not particle board
Mae uses maple and cherry offcuts from local barns and restoration sites. The wood is dense, holds its finish, and gives the box a weight that feels considered rather than cheap. You notice it the first time you pick it up.
Four songs tuned for quiet rooms
Lullaby, Swan Lake, Für Elise, and Amazing Grace were chosen because they work in any room where someone is winding down. Clear, bright, unhurried. Each movement pin is hand-set by Mae before the box ships.
Made in a one-person shed in Stowe
No factory. No assembly line. Mae cuts, fits, finishes, and tunes each box herself. This is not a scaled operation — it’s thirty years of wood sense applied to something small and precise.
FROM THE MAKER
A music box earns its place the first time someone picks it up without thinking and gives the key a turn. It’s not furniture. It’s punctuation — one small thing in a room that says the room belongs to a person who notices things.
Mae Holloway — furniture restorer & music box maker, Stowe, VT. Eight years of boxes, each one from wood she already had.
HOW IT COMPARES
A Different Kind of Piece
| What matters | This piece | Another approach |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Vermont hardwood offcuts — maple and cherry. | Import boxes often use MDF or low-grade pine; varies by product. |
| Song selection | Lullaby, Swan Lake, Für Elise, Amazing Grace — four distinct options. | Most gift-market boxes carry a single pre-set movement. |
| Tuning | Each movement hand-set by Mae before shipment. | Factory-tuned; consistency varies by volume. |
| Maker story | Thirty years of furniture restoration, one shed in Vermont. | Mass-produced boxes have no maker story. |
PLAIN-SPOKEN DETAILS
What’s Here Before You Choose
An honest note
Exact dimensions, wood species per box, finish type, and mechanical specifications are not guaranteed uniform across units — these are handmade from offcuts, and natural variation is part of the piece. If exact dimensions matter for your use, contact Mae before ordering.
THE DETAILS
Specifications
| Product | Wooden Music Box |
| Material | Vermont hardwood (maple/cherry) |
| Songs | Lullaby, Swan Lake, Für Elise, Amazing Grace |
| Mechanism | Wind-up key, hand-set pins |
| Finish | Natural oil |
| Made in | Stowe, Vermont, USA |
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Frequently Asked Questions
Which song should I choose?
Lullaby and Amazing Grace work well near a child’s space or as a gift. Swan Lake and Für Elise lean more classical and sit well in a study or reading room. Choose the one the recipient would actually want to hear, not the one that photographs best.
Is the wood actually from Vermont?
Yes. Mae uses maple and cherry offcuts from local barn restorations and demolition salvage around Stowe. The wood is not sourced from a lumber yard — it’s furniture-grade material that was already there.
Can I buy one of each song?
Yes — a two-pack or three-pack lets you choose different songs per box. Select your preferred song in the Song dropdown before adding to cart; each box ships with the song you selected.
Is it a good gift?
It’s one of the few objects that does something when you touch it. It doesn’t need to be explained. Whether it lands depends on the person, not the box — but the box is genuinely good.
Made From Wood That Was Already There
Mae Holloway built these boxes from Vermont hardwood she salvaged from barns and restoration sites. Wind the key. Hear the song she chose for the wood she already had. This is what thirty years of furniture sense looks like when it gets small and precise.
600+ Happy Customers
Excellent 4.9 ★★★★★
What Mae’s customers are saying
I ordered the Swan Lake for my desk and the Lullaby for my daughter’s shelf. Both arrived perfectly tuned. The wood has real weight and the grain on mine is beautiful. You can feel the care in it.
Bought this as a gift for my mother who collects music boxes. She said it’s the best-sounding one she has. The Vermont hardwood detail made it feel like something worth owning rather than just receiving.
Amazing Grace for my grandmother. She cried. In the good way. The movement is clear and bright — not that tinny sound most cheap music boxes have. This one rings.
Für Elise version on my studio desk. I wind it when I need to think. The wood patina is going to be gorgeous in a few years. Already love it.
