About Z Coil Store

THE FOUNDER’S SOUTHWEST BEGINNINGS Alvaro Z. Gallegos (Al), the founder and inventor of Z-CoiL, grew up with ethics of hard work on his family’s farm in beautiful Southern Colorado. He learned about retail early because his father worked in the small town Del Norte store. Al later served in the Air Force as a test and fighter pilot in the Korean War. When he returned, he and his father started a shoe store in Espanola, New Mexico. Al grew that store to a 10,000 square foot department store, supporting his beloved wife, Marcella, and their eight children. While continuing to work his business in Espanola, Al moved his family to Santa Fe for the schools. He built a traditional adobe home with views of the famous Southwestern rolling desert hills and snow capped mountains. HIS WIFE PASSES Marcella, at age 42, unexpectedly passed away, leaving him alone to raise their eight children ranging in ages from 2-17 years old. Running became his means of dealing with the stress of his new found situation and staying healthy for the kids. Sometimes he’d run 4-5 times a day. Soon after, he started running competitively. Then he started experiencing all the typical injuries associated with running. Although he had access to all types of running shoes in his store, he couldn’t find any shoes that eased his pain and allowed him to continue running. So, Al decided to create his own brand. THE SPRING SHOE IDEA One day during the run that changed his life, the concept of a spr