By JOSE MARTINEZ and ELVA RAMIREZ

It's not the War of the Roses, but Chinatown has a potential flower feud on its hands.

Two community groups that annually sponsor a lunar new year have accused a local media company of plucking their vendors and poaching their idea.

Officials of the Museum of Chinese in the Americas and the United East Athletics Association are irate that Tinnie Advertising - the company the two groups hired last year to promote their event - is strong-arming them.

"This group took our idea and tried to sell our idea as their own," said Charles Lai, executive director of the museum.

When the third annual New York Lunar New Year Flower Market takes place in Columbus Park on Jan. 27-28, Tinnie's separate flower market also will open, seven blocks away, in Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

But the Tinnie executives deny they are in competition with the nonprofit groups.

"A lot of this is probably just a misunderstanding," said Judy Mok, Tinnie's assistant director.

Tinnie actually snared the permit for use of Columbus Park on lunar new year weekend. Mok said the company agreed to give up the venue to the nonprofit groups even after they rescheduled to coincide with Tinnie.

"We're not wrong to be contacting our own clients," Mok said, noting that Tinnie had brought in vendors last year.

She said her company organized its flower market after a client, whose name she would not divulge, requested a holiday event that featured flowers, a symbol of good luck. Some of the proceeds, she said, will benefit the American Red Cross.

But community leaders were skeptical of Tinnie's motives.

"Considering who they're dealing with, it's like taking money away from the Salvation Army," said David Louie, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York.

Mok defended Tinnie's efforts. "We are for-profit," Mok said. "But the fact is we're a small business and we're trying to do something good for the community."