http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... /809180309


September 18, 2008

Hispanic-run businesses are growing in Westfield

Westfield business one of many Hispanic-run shops

By Melanie D. Hayes
melanie.d.hayes@indystar.com

When Maracela Cortes moved to Westfield 10 years ago, there were few Hispanic-run businesses in Indianapolis or Hamilton County.

"There were no Mexican stores in all of Indianapolis, maybe just two," she said. "And here, there were definitely none."

A decade later, businesses owned by Hispanics are much more common. Cortes has joined the growing trend by opening her own beauty shop, Salon Talexa, in Westfield 10 months ago.

The Hispanic population has grown by 158 percent in Hamilton County since 2000, according to the 2007 census. In Washington Township, the Hispanic or Latino population was the largest minority at 4.38 percent.

Cortes, originally from Mexico, moved from California. She's noticed major changes in the Hispanic community during her years living here.

Now there are several Hispanic businesses in Westfield, including hair salons, restaurants and grocery stores.

"(Hispanics) are making an effort to learn more English so they can open their own businesses," Cortes said. "In California, hardly anyone (Hispanic) spoke English. But here, they pay for lessons to speak because here it is necessary."

Denis Sanchez, who was getting his hair cut by Cortes on Saturday, said he plans to learn English. Sanchez moved to Westfield four months ago from Honduras. He has family members in Westfield who encouraged him to move there.

Sanchez, 25, was surprised at how many Hispanics live in Westfield. Although that helps him feel more comfortable in this new land, he wants to adapt.

"I'm definitely going to take English classes," he said. "It's important to learn because in this country, without knowing English, you can't make it."

Sanchez landed a job with a Westfield-based landscaping company.

"I like it because it is relaxed," he said of the city. "And it sounds like there are more jobs available (in Indiana) than in other states -- and that's what one comes here for, to work."

Cortes says about 80 percent of her clientele is Hispanic, with the majority from Mexico.

"I like the tranquility," she said of Westfield. "It's very pretty, green and there are good schools."

When Westfield Middle School Principal Ed Mendoza moved to Westfield 13 years ago, there were very few Hispanics living in the town. The first non-English speaking student, a girl from Mexico, didn't arrive at his school until 1998.

Within the next two years, about a dozen non-English speaking students enrolled and the school started an English as a Second Language program. Now the school has 45.

Mendoza, who was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. when he was 7, helps Hispanic families adjust to their new lives through cultural enrichment programs. He teaches them about the culture, helps them find jobs, translates for them and prepares them for citizenship tests. He also is an advocate for Hispanic children in the school district.

"When people move, they move in groups. It's through word of mouth. A lot of people who come here know someone who lives here. We notice that when they enroll their kids in school, they are related to someone here.

"It also has a lot to do, in this particular area, with the construction industry. There are a lot of painters, roofers, farmers, masons, and a lot of people who work in the landscaping business," he said.

The safe neighborhoods, good schools and jobs keep them here.

The number of Hispanics moving to Westfield has slowed a bit, with some families moving away because the service-industry jobs they're seeking are more scarce, Mendoza said.

"I think we are going to see a lot more (Hispanics) moving here, particularly after the economy turns the corner," he said.

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook hopes the city continues to draw a more diverse population.

"Part of our Hoosier culture has been that we have not attracted much minorities around here, and that is not a good thing, really," he said. "We here in Central Indiana, we seem to absorb minorities much later than maybe the coasts do. It's not our fault or aversion to minorities. It's just our geographical location."

Cook has seen how diversity can add to a community's culture and lifestyle. His daughter lives in West Lafayette, which has a higher minority mix because of the academic environment, he said.