Jim Graziano still remembers being 9 years old and getting up on Saturdays or summer vacations to sweep the floors, load shelves or delivery trucks, and count the cash drawer without a register at J.P. Graziano. 

Working at the family-owned importer and distributor warehouse at 901 W. Randolph St. was a rite of passage for Graziano’s grandfather, his father and himself when they were growing up. As the fourth-generation owner, Graziano helped transform the successful importing business his great-grandfather started into a popular sandwich shop filling dozens of orders per hour.