With a large Hispanic population in Freeborn County, Julia Thompson and Ryan Pascual felt it was a perfect chance to bring a Spanish-language publication to an untapped market.

&uot;We started it out in Austin and it just kept growing and growing,&uot; Thompson, the publication’s manager, said. &uot;We had such a positive response there that we though we’d bring it to Albert Lea.&uot;

&uot;El Matador&uot; started out in Austin two years ago. The Mower County Shopper, which owns and produces the Spanish bi-monthly, decided to give it a test try in Austin. Thompson said the success was overwhelming, so much so that they decided to hire a Spanish-speaking advertising representative.

Their success has since pushed them to explore another market: Albert Lea. Starting in June, an Albert Lea version of El Matador began, and so far two issues have been sent out.

The circulation for both of the cities is 7,000. Thompson said the Freeborn and Mower County shoppers, which have common ownership, send out El Matador inside their normal weekly shoppers to neighborhoods with Hispanic populations.

Pascual, the advertising representative for El Matador, said the publication means a lot to the Hispanic communities.

&uot;It’s more than an advertisement of local businesses,&uot; he said. &uot;The possibilities of El Matador are endless.&uot;

Those possibilities range from simply having a space for locals to exchange recipes, to telling local people’s stories or posting community information.

The Freeborn County Shopper in Albert Lea does the layout and design for El Matador. Dick Herfindahl does most of the work for the publication. He, admittedly, doesn’t speak the language of El Matador. Though he has picked up a few words he still can’t understand the majority of the text.

&uot;Us Norwegians don’t have much experience with Spanish,&uot; he said with a smile.

Every two weeks, he sends both an English shopper and a Spanish shopper.

Thompson sees no end to the possibilities for the publication’s growth.

&uot;It took off so well in Austin and we’ve had such great positive feedback,&uot; she said. &uot;After Albert Lea, who knows what will happen? This is definitely a growing process.&uot;

The shoppers are owned by Boone Newspapers, Inc., which also owns the Albert Lea Tribune.

(Contact Peter Cox at peter.cox@albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)