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Merchants notice Hispanic trade

By Christian Jennings - bio | email

July 16, 2008

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Albany's Hispanic community is growing and so are their businesses. Some Hispanic business owners say the change is having a positive affect on their culture and pockets.

You may notice something different about some TV ads. Some are all in Spanish. Commercials like one for Chrysler are becoming somewhat common across televisions nationwide.

And with the Hispanic population in Albany up, people like Monica Martinez appreciate the change. "There's a lot of Hispanic people that don't speak English. They don't know the language, and doing a commercial that's only in Spanish is like their thinking of us," says grocery worker, Monica Martinez.

Along with the population growth is an increase in Hispanic businesses. You may have noticed this new Mexican Grocery store. And although she says these new stores do show progress for her community, they just aren't enough. She describes Hispanic venues she often visits in Atlanta, and wishes there was something similar here.

"Not only groceries, but clothing, like music stores, everything, it's just like you're in Mexico. It's just like a Spanish community. Something like that here would be real good," said Martinez.

Across town at Los Pinos, the other Mexican grocery in Albany, Manager Naun Zuniga says business has increased over the past few months. "There's more people, everyday more."

At this authentic Mexican store you can find everything from ripe Plantains, canned foods, and fresh cut meats unique to Spanish culture. "We got a lot of stuff that's not in the Wal-Mart or Winn Dixie you know. It's special for Spanish people," Zuniga says.

The U. S. Census Bureau doesn't release the numbers showing the change in demographics until August 7th. But it's still apparent that the community is changing and people are taking notice.

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