Two new salons opened recently to pretty up the downtown crowd, joining only a few that already exist.

Stylist Tonantzin Rodriguez officially opened SalonPure earlier this month with the help of business partner and co-owner Rick Renier. Their goal is to bring the upscale salon environment that’s readily available on the Westside to the young professional crowd moving into downtown lofts.

“When I decided about two years ago to open a salon, I considered Silver Lake,” Rodriguez said. “Then I had a conversation with my uncle, who is a caterer, and he said, ‘You have to look downtown.'”

So Rodriguez who worked in promotions and probation before going into hair-styling left her job at Jersi Salon in Beverly Hills for the move east. The Los Angeles Community Development Department helped her create a business plan and find an appropriate location.

SalonPure is in the ground floor retail under Santa Fe Lofts on Sixth Street. So far the main client base comes from residents there and Pacific Electric Lofts as well as her regular clientele.

Orlando’s Hair and Nail Salon had its grand opening on South Main Street this fall. Owner Ana Ochoa, who is classifieds sales manager at the Los Angeles Times, was looking for an investment with her husband Orlando.

Their daughter-in-law was a hair stylist and had trouble taking off of work when their grandson was sick, she said.