The original partnership of timber merchants, between Richard Bowen and Redmond Pomeroy, dates back to 1890. Bowen moved to Melbourne in 1883 and established a business removing and selling scrap metal and timber from pre-fabricated houses. Realising the value of cedar and oregon timber, Bowen approached his brother-in-law Redmond Pomeroy, to help finance a secondhand timber yard. In 1894 the pair leased a block of land in North Melbourne and constructed a sawmill, moulding mill and a joinery shop. The company was formally incorporated in 1914. After the deaths of Bowen in 1924 and Pomeroy in 1925, the business was managed by Charles Barass. In 1931 the business was inherited by Bowen's son, Jack, and the company divided into an operating company (Bowen & Pomeroy Pty Ltd) with the majority of shares belonging to Jack Bowen, and a holding company (B&P Investments) owned equally by the Bowen and Pomeroy families. In 1938, the share issue of the operating structure was increased, bought largely by the Bowen family. During the 1960s Bowen & Pomeroy diversified into retail branches and in 1965 the company opened its first store at Mt Evelyn. After Jack Bowen's death in 1971, his son John expanded its retail sales concentrating on the timber and hardware trade.