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Opinion by Ernesto Portillo Jr.

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A mere 20 feet north of the pedestrian border crossing on North Morley Avenue, Nogales businessman Gregory Kory wonders about the recent big fuss over an American business accepting Mexican pesos.

"Since the beginning, we've accepted pesos," said Kory, who with his family has for 60 years sold clothes and goods in Nogales to customers who have paid in pesos, as well as greenbacks.

"Whatever it takes to make a customer happy."

The peso brouhaha erupted last week in Dallas when a pizzeria chain announced it would sell pies for pesos.

Makes good business sense for Pizza Patrón, a 20-year-old company, which has made itself Latino-friendly with its menu and bilingual staff. One favorite is La Mexicana, a pizza that includes spicy chorizo sausage and jalapeños.

The franchise chain has 59 stores in five states, including eight in the Phoenix area, and is planning to expand to Tucson this year. Most its stores are in Latino neighborhoods.

But as soon as Pizza Patrón kicked off its trial promotion, the corporate butt-kicking commenced. Critics flooded the company with threatening and hateful words, said company spokesman Andrew Gamm.

Xenophobes had a field day, turning a benign business story into a debate over immigration. They claimed the promotion pounded another nail into the American cultural coffin.

First it's the Italian pizza, then it's the whole American enchilada, they cried.

Baloney, I say.

Pizza Patrón is doing what it does best — sell pizzas.

"It was a business decision," said Gamm.

The company may permanently accept pesos after February, when it had planned to end the promotion, said Gamm.

Kory understands. If taking pesos means a customer will buy something, "We're happy to take those pesos."

And it's not just pesos that American businesses accept. Canadian currency is accepted on our northern edge.

"Up here we take Canadian dollars," said Cheryl Collins, of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism in Washington state, across from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The businesses don't make money when they sell back pesos or Canadian dollars, but they send the message to cross-border customers that their money is accepted.

"We rely on each other," Collins said, noting that Canadian merchants take American dollars, as do Mexican merchants.

"It's only money," she said.

Dealing in pesos north of the border is a way of life, said Olivia Ainza-Kramer, chairwoman of the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce .

"We are used to handling the two currencies," she said.

Accepting pesos also stimulates the economy and creates jobs, said Ainza-Kramer, a former banker who works in community investment projects.

The economy of Nogales, with a population of about 22,000 people, depends much on its sister city, about 10 times its size.

Mexican shoppers cross the border to spend. That means businesses north of the border can stay open and expand, she said.

Kory estimates 25 percent of his customers walk into his four stores with pesos in their wallets and purses. Overall, 80 percent of his customers are from across the border.

He said accepting pesos makes shopping convenient for Mexican shoppers who didn't have time to buy dollars in Mexico. Moreover, Mexican shoppers can buy dollars in Nogales at a lower price than in Mexico.

For businesses, it's about the bottom line.

"If somebody wanted to pay me in deutsche marks and it was worthwhile for me, I'd take them," said Kory.

It's only dinero.