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For at least the next 14 years, anyone who wants to construct a Christmas tree out of records the same way Glen Gray does and sell it for profit may face charges of patent infringement.

Gray’s method of melting vinyl records into a flower pattern, threading LED Christmas lights through the center holes and fastening them to a mesh-covered wooden frame received a United States design patent in November. The patent is good until 2027.

A 9-foot tree he constructed out of 119 records is currently on display at the Covers art gallery in Convention Hall’s Grand Arcade [at right], along with a display of Bruce Springsteen album covers that will stay up through January to coincide with the Light of Day Festival. The tree detaches into five pieces for more accessible moving and storage.

So far, it’s received mixed reviews from the public.

“Some people like it,” said Gray. “To be fair, some people thought it was the ugliest thing they’d ever seen. But it didn’t matter to us, because our catchphrase is ‘keeping vinyl alive’.”

The catchphrase comes from Gray’s boutique gift shop, Greetings from Geralyn,  also located in the Grand Arcade, two stores away.

Gray, 59, and his wife, Geralyn, 54, have owned and operated Greetings from Geralyn in Asbury Park for the past five years. The store got its start as a greetings card shop located in the Shoppes in the Arcade on Cookman Avenue. After a year or so of low foot traffic the two considered closing up shop all together, but instead moved the location to inside Convention Hall upon the recommendation of a broker that worked for boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette at the time.

After one of his children purchased a record that was shaped like a bowl as a gift for a sibling, a change of wares came with the new location as well — Gray took one look at the bowl and the ideas started flowing. He now fashions clocks, coasters, bookends and a host of other gift items out of old records.

A few years ago, an artist in town took a look at the bowls, looked a Gray and said, “You ought to make a tree out of that,” so, that’s exactly what Gray did.

Gray says his dream is to have a franchise like the Hard Rock Cafe commission him to build a 30-foot tree.

He’s currently taking orders to start constructing trees for Christmas 2014 but prices haven’t been set, since they depend on different variables, like how tall the tree will be constructed and whether Gray or the buyer will be supplying the records. The 9-foot model on display in Convention Hall could cost anywhere between $1200-$1500, he said.

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