Can you find it? Functional artwork installed downtown.

The Joinery’s unique fundraiser yielded one-of-a-kind auction items, including this gem: built to benefit and a treasure in its own right, complete with books free for the taking.

Matt Geleta loves the inspiration and camaraderie that come with working with others in the community space. (“His enthusiasm,” says Pam Abrams, “is contagious.”)

Saratoga Joinery’s woodworking shop threw its first annual Wine & Cheeseboards fundraiser this fall — raising $30,000 — and the sold-out event yielded some fascinating auction items. Among the unique finds? A Little Free Library by Matt Geleta that was made with premium fumed quarter sawn white oak.

And it was just installed, in time for wintery nights in with a book.

“The array of one-of-a-kind auction items, handcrafted at the Joinery, made this silent auction really stand out,” says Pam Abrams, proud owner of the little library, which Geleta just installed on Stratton Street outside the house she shares with husband, Paul Kligfield. “We felt so lucky to be the high bidders on this gorgeous library. It’s a gift for the whole street — books in, books out. What could be a better neighborhood service than that?”

For his auction donation item (the Joinery is a nonprofit organization with a mission to make woodworking accessible to all, through classes and membership), Geleta fairly quickly landed on the idea for a unique “little library” that was also beautiful, like a piece of functional yard art — but its look took a bit more time to figure out.

Scenes from Saratoga Joinery’s first annual Wine & Cheeseboards fundraiser. In just over a year, the nonprofit has grown to 139 members of all skill levels who “learn, create, and connect” at its Caroline Street location.

“A couple of the guys here were like, ‘Just stain it,’” he says. “And I was like, ‘No, I’m going to fume it.

“And I did.”

The result surprised even him — “I can’t even believe it came out,” he says, laughing.

The fuming technique — which he did in his home shop — starts with ammonia hydroxide. “It is six times stronger than your household ammonia, so you’re all suited up,” Geleta explains. “You put it in the enclosure, seal it, and leave it. Then it reacts with the tannin in the wood. The color you see is not stained; it’s fumed, permanently embedded into the wood.”

Permanently embedded — and stunning.

And already stacked with books, which are free for the taking. The idea is to leave one when you take one, but good luck finding room. Last we checked, this fumed little library was filled to the brim with books to settle into this cozy season.

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