Trading Barbie for burgers

Dawn Mormile was worried. She had lost her job at Toys “R” Us in March when the retailer went belly up.

But thanks to the red-hot economy, the mother of four was not out of work for long.

Within two months, she landed a job at the COMMONS Cafe in the Teleport, Staten Island’s largest corporate park.

“It’s scary when you have children. You take care of them. Things are really hard,” she said, recalling her unemployment.

Mormile learned of the job opening from her sister, Donna, who also works there.

“I was able to get hours and get back on track. People here became family to me,” Dawn Mormile said.

COMMONS Cafe was able to hire her because of its expansion at the Teleport, in Staten Island’s Bloomfield section. Six workers were added at the cafe this year, bringing the total to 30.

The cafe and the corporate office buildings in the complex are owned by Richard and Lois Nicotra, the largest real-estate developers in the borough.

The cafe opened in 2011 as an amenity for the corporate park’s tenants. More jobs are coming.

Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, the cafe makes its food from scratch on site — hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, wraps and salads. It says its profits go to charity.

“I was working with toys. Now I’m working with food,” Mormile said.

Now she sees a future at the COMMONS cafe.

“It’s a locally owned business that benefits Staten Island. I like that,” she said. As for working with her sister? “We get along, so it’s pretty good,” Mormile said.