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These shoes help to put the spring back in one's step

PALM HARBOR - Admittedly, the shoes are peculiar-looking with a spring between the heel and sole. But they enable Debi Rogers to walk without pain and their 72-year-old inventor to take a 2-mile jog every now and then.

Mrs. Rogers, 52, and her husband, Mike, 53, have opened Z-Life - Pinellas County's first Z-Coil pain-relieving footwear business. According to the company, U.S. Department of Energy tests concluded that the shoes reduce body impact by 50 percent or more and give an energy return of 40 to 50 percent.

Mrs. Rogers learned about the shoes a year and a half ago when she and her husband were shopping for a motor home. The salesman noticed she was limping.

"I was in a lot of pain," Mrs. Rogers said. "I have osteoarthritis that started from a fall. Both knees have problems, but one has no cartilage. The salesman said he has the same problem and pointed to his shoes, and said, "You need to get some of these shoes."'

She called an uncle who is a doctor to get information about the shoe, called a Z-Coil. It was invented by Al Gallegos from Albuquerque, N.M., who spent about a decade fine-tuning his design.

At the time the Rogerses learned of the shoe, the Dunedin couple were in Lexington, Ky., where their son Corey operates the family's Mocha Monkey Cafe.

The nearest Z-Coil store was in Atlanta.

"I tried a pair on and walked around and noticed right away I had no pain," Mrs. Rogers said. "My husband asked if I was trying to stand up straight. I didn't even realize how much I wasn't standing up straight."

She bought a pair and so did her husband, and they've been wearing them ever since.

"For me, it has made a huge difference," Mrs. Rogers said. "It's a nondrug alternative. It's not a cure, but it does relieve the pain."

In July, the couple decided to become authorized dealers and bring the shoes to Pinellas County. They leased a storefront in Country Woods Plaza at 819 County Road 1. Setting up a dealership took an investment of $27,000 for the opening inventory and built-out costs. The store opened Oct. 15.

The shoes have a built-in orthotic, Mrs. Rogers said, extra thick forefoot cushioning and a shock-absorbing steel coil in the heel. They are available in sandals, walking, running and hiking shoes, clogs and work boots from women's size 5 to men's size 14.

Prices range from $139.95 for the clog to $249.95 for the work boot, Mrs. Rogers said. The shoes can be adjusted for foot, knee, leg and back pain. The store is open Monday-Saturday. For additional information on the shoe, go to Web site www.zcoil.com

Pat Lokey, who has owned upscale women's clothing stores in Clearwater for more than two decades, has expanded into the beauty business. She and Sylvia Casto have opened Sylvia and Co. in the Gulf to Bay Plaza at 523 S Belcher Road.

Lokey and Casto are equal partners in the business. "I'm the business manager," Lokey said. Casto, who has more than 20 years experience in the beauty business, is the operating manager.

The full-service salon offers skin and nail care, as well as hair styling for men, women and children, coloring and straightening. The shop, which also offers air brush tanning and sells wigs and hair pieces, is open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.

Angela M. Armstrong has joined the law firm of McFarland, Gould, Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan as an associate. She is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law. She will focus on bankruptcy, but her practice areas also include debtors rights and estate planning.

The firm has offices at 311 S Missouri Ave., Clearwater, and 3490 East Lake Road, East Lake, and the staff works in probate, estate planning, real estate, civil and criminal litigation.

Seann Maxwell, president of Maxwell Consultants Inc. in East Lake, is forming a networking group for business professionals. Members will meet weekly for breakfast and to share marketing ideas and business referrals. For information, call Maxwell at 251-3970.

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