Kinza Robbins knew what she wanted from the time she was a young girl, growing up in a place of the same last name -- Robbins.

"As a child, I remember helping my great-aunt arrange flowers," she says. "She let me play with flowers for years, and I helped her prepare for weddings by the time I was 16. Hanging out with her reinforced my desire to become a florist."

But, as life played out, Robbins held other jobs as well. She worked as a school secretary in Asheboro.

"I also worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles," she says. "And at one time I even raised chickens."

The jobs didn't deter Robbins from working with flowers.

"I never gave up the idea of having my own shop," she says. "I was spending so much time at my great-aunt's shop that the idea of opening my own shop finally sank in."

In August 1995, Robbins realized her dream and opened her own floral shop, Kinza Creations.

Robbins' early training speaks for itself when one sees her wedding creations.

"I love weddings," she says. "They fascinated me when I was little and really tempted me to go into business. Being a part of people's special day is so exciting."

Her favorite color schemes consist of shades of pink, purple and white. There are so many flowers that fit the bill no matter what season people decide to get married.

"I enjoy romantic color," she says, "but it is up to the customer to select what they think will work for their particular occasion."

Another of Robbins' favorite floral schemes is a mixed arrangement of spring garden flowers, consisting of Dutch tulips and iris, alstroemeria and other selections. Roses are always special at the store, as are lilies, dieffenbachia, callas and hydrangea.

"If a customer wants a certain flower, we just need a couple of days' notice to provide that flower for an arrangement," she says.

Fresh flowers are delivered to her store twice a week.

"We get our flowers from places in North Carolina that, in turn, receive them from California, Columbia, South America, Ecuador and Florida," she says.

Without hesitation, Robbins said that her least favorite is the football chrysanthemum.

"A favorite flower is the Stargazer lily," she says.

Robbins, 46, loves serving the area along with the other floral shops.

"We offer a large selection and keep up with current trends," she says.

Robbins attends flower shows and seminars. She has the background for a good selection of fresh flowers, silks and houseplants.

"We are a full-service florist and belong to the Tele-Flora network," she says. "You can go online and order through the network. We deliver to West End, Carthage, Bennett, Robbins, Star, Aberdeen, Southern Pines and Pinehurst."

The shop also services the hospital and medical offices.

Robbins provides services to everyone, both city and country.

"We give our customers more for the money when we provide them with flowers for all occasions," she says.

Robbins will go into a home and decorate the premises for the holidays.

"We will do whatever the customer requests," she says, "whether it be entire trees or simple decorations. We supply several funeral homes in the area and offer pick-me-up memorials."

A special service offered by Robbins is to keep the graves of loved ones supplied with fresh flowers.

"Sometimes families move out of town, and the travel distance is quite far," she says, "so we will take care of decorating the grave for the family for as long as they require our service."

Robbins offers a telephone emergency service for funerals as well as a courtesy service for the families.

"If we do the family casket spray, we will remove the old flowers from the grave after the funeral home tent has been taken down," she says. "Customers appreciate that extra service. And we try to satisfy everyone with each order."

One specialty design offered by Robbins is to memorialize someone's life through floral designs.

"We design and create shapes with Styrofoam and flowers to signify someone's hobby or love, such as race cars, wagons, fish -- and we constructed a piano arrangement with flowers for a church pianist using a small-scale baby grand made from Styrofoam," she says. "We have done quail hunting designs and all kinds of scenes."

Balloons are a favorite for customers, so the store provides them, along with specialty containers

The busiest holidays for Robbins are Valentine's Day, followed by Mother's Day. Her husband assists in the deliveries during the rush season. Her sister, Joanie Cox, works full time at the store.

"The Christmas season is always busy because it is such an expanded time of the year," she says. "And there are always fresh flowers in the cooler."

Kinza Creations is located at 150 Middleton Street, Robbins.

Anita Stone is a Raleigh freelance writer. She may be reached at writer7136@yahoo.com.