Burgos hair salon brings a little Puerto Rico to Niagara St.

 Efrain Burgos celebrates Hispanic heritage with his son Alexandre with a display room in his hair salon, 472 Niagara St., containing items he has collected from his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, over the years. When Burgos moved from Puerto Rico to Buffalo in the 1980s, he opened one of the first Hispanic hair salons in Buffalo. When his first son was born in1990 began bringing back items such as musical instruments, paintings and figurines from San Juan every time he visited to put them in his salon. Burgos started doing this because he missed his home but also understood Buffalo was his new home, so this was a way for him to combine the. This summer, Burgos remodeled his storefront through a $40,000 grant from Erie County. He says his was the first Puerto Rican hair salons in Buffalo. Now there are many. “It makes me feel proud and makes me feel like I contributed something to the area,” Burgos said. By George McClendon Jr.