The original store was owned by Mr Armer Boyle. Mr William Hamilton was bored in Scotland in 1833 and arrived in Australia in 1852. In 1877 he settled in Howlong, married Boyle's daughter and took over the drapery and grocery business. The store was inherited by his son Mr William Barr Hamilton and his sons took over the store in 1938 after his death. The store was destroyed by fire in 1941 and was rebuilt in 1949 as it is today. In 1976 the store was sold ending 100 years of ownership by the Hamilton Family. It is now the Howlong Cafe.
