"Many of these merchants have family and other ties to the international economy, " observes Thomas Tseng, a principal at New American Dimensions, a multicultural marketing group in Los Angeles.

FORBES: In Ethnic Enclaves, The U.S. Economy Thrives

This has important consequences for marketing by multicultural and general-market professionals alike.

FORBES: Advertisers Must Pay Attention to Hispanic Consumers as Rising Trendsetters in 2013