For fifteen years, her dream was to own a flower shop. This dream started to bud twenty years ago as an eighteen year old working at Franks’ Floral Shop on Irving Street between 19^th and 20^th Avenue.

“That’s where I learned the floral business, but a lot has changed in twenty years. Today, customers are more educated and specific about what they want.”

And on February 2, 2007, Robyn Majdrakoff became the sole proprietor of Florabunda. Her banker Faddy, boyfriend Nick and best friend Deborah were instrumental in transforming her storefront shop from a teenage dream to her earnest business.

“Six days before we opened, we gutted, painted, and constructed. Sometimes we were at the shop until three in the morning.”

She tells me,

“It’s a hard business. This is the hardest I’ve ever worked with the lowest pay, but I feel blessed, like there’s an angel looking out for me.”

Twelve days after opening, was Valentine’s Day.

“My hands were cut from the thorns of maybe 900 roses. But, I already started to feel neighborhood loyalty in a short period of time.”

I wonder if she has a favorite flower.

“I have to say roses. They come in every color you can imagine. They’re the International flower of love and compassion. The garden roses smell so sweet.”

Her life wasn’t always about roses and flowers, there was dance and death. For her fourth birthday her grandmother gave her a gift of a year’s worth of dance lessons at Star Dance Studio. She studied, tap, ballet and jazz. She fondly remembers her love for dance as a little girl.

“I wanted to dance on Broadway.”

Shortly after Robyn’s fifth birthday, her forty year old mother was eight months pregnant and died of an ovarian tumor along with her unborn child. Robyn would not have her mother and sister clapping at her dance recitals.

Robyn, an Inner Sunset native was raised by a single Dad just a few blocks from Florabunda. She danced into her twenties, taught dance to children at Star Dance Studio and became a Pre-School Teacher before Florabunda was hers. She and her father remain close, and he helps his daughter with floral deliveries and Wednesday and Friday morning trips to the Flower Mart.

“I’d love to support my father, pay all his bills and send him on a vacation a few times a year. He deserves it, he took care of me my whole life.”

Robyn remembers vacationing with her father in his native Bulgaria on two occasions. The first time was in 1986, when Bulgaria was Communist. Getting off the plane to greet relatives she remembers,

“There was a military guy, a tank and an open hatch.”

Some of her relatives were members of the Communist Party.

“You could see they were scared, and talking about government or politics was off limits.”

Her second visit in 2006 was completely different.

“The women’s skirts were shorter, their heels got higher.”

She reminisces about the warmth of the country. She and her father were given a great deal of love, acceptance and generosity.

“We were treated like royalty.”

Bulgaria is known for their agriculture and they feasted on lamb, chicken and lots of fresh vegetables and enjoyed their leisurely four hour dinners with distant relatives. She paints another picture.

“There are thousands of acres of roses. Rose oil is Bulgaria’s leading export.”

Robyn graduated from McAteer School of The Arts. She enjoys the creative aspects of floral arrangements.

In fact, she is reminded of her family lineage,

“Art runs in my family. My grandfather was a professional photographer in Europe and New York. My Uncle was an Art Professor for forty years at the San Francisco Art Institute. My Dad’s artistic too.”

She takes special care in creating floral arrangements for weddings and referrals have been thru word of mouth.

“I want to do a really good job and make everything pretty. It’s a bride’s special day. I haven’t had any bridezillas yet.”

What about funerals? "They are a little sad. Maybe my flowers can bring some comfort to the family.”

She recently arranged the flowers for a friend, whose husband passed away.

“I was close to the family. It was weird and I felt honored. The most important piece is the piece that’s placed on the casket. I put a lot of love into that. I only hope I can make a sad day a little better.”

Although a neighborhood girl all her life, I wonder what she likes about this neighborhood.

“There’s so much diversity. People come here from all parts of the city for the restaurants.”

She and I were breaking bread together in one of my favorites, Bistro 9. We were seated in the back patio. The sun was warm, soft jazz played in the background. We shared a grilled balsamic salmon skewer, even the lemons were grilled, mint cumin chicken skewer with tzatziki sauce, tabbouleh, rice, and a mild chardonnay.

One of Robyn’s favorite places in San Francisco is the Land’s End trail.

“I walk my dog there. I like the steep cliffs, the crashing waves, the views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.”

Robyn feels flowers are important because they put a smile on someone’s face.

“Flowers add color, a fresh fragrance and a chance to bring the outside inside.”

She would also like her customers and neighbors to know that she doesn’t expect people to buy flowers every day, but they can say hello every day.

“Just wave or say hello on your way home from work.”

NEXT WEEK: LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO KRIS, MANAGER OF LE VIDEO.