Hiram B. Rowe had a general store at Springvale Square in the 1890s. In 1895 he took Thomas H. Mankin into the firm as his partner and the firm was known for several years thereafter as Rowe and Makin. Hiram and his brother Charles P. Rowe, another Springvale merchant, were instrumental in organizing the Springvale National Bank in 1905. Both became directors and Hiram was a cashier for many years.