Monger applied for a free licence in early 1837 and then an ordinary licence. He was described as being "a publican, of York" on 5 February 1837, when he had to personally eject a troublesome private in the 21st Regiment named John Curran, who was later charged with assault for hitting Monger with a bludgeon. The original hotel was a small building of
wattle and daub and was the first hotel in the area. This was called
the York Hotel. The wattle and daub hotel burnt down and Monger then built a large and substantial hostelry. It was a dangerous time; in July 1838, Monger returned to Perth to report spearings by "hostile tribes". On 20 May 1839, the wife of Elijah Cook was murdered by Aboriginal people not far to the south of York, which caused shock waves throughout the Colony. In December 1838, Monger ("innkeeper of York") was charged with assaulting James Manson on a street in Perth, but the case was "compromised by paying the constable’s expenses equally". In 1838, Monger's licence fee was doubled from £5 to £10. He asked for the additional fee to be suspended, complaining that in a distant place like York, the remuneration from accommodation is limited and precarious, and that his crops had failed and he had lost some good friends to his business. A few months after this, he opened ''Monger's Store'', commonly referred to as "Monger's". It was the first general store established in York. Stocks such as hardware, drapery, groceries, wines and spirits, provisions and implements were sold there. Monger advertised his goods heavily from 4 August 1841 onwards, as being available "at the stores of the undersigned". Monger became unpopular because in October 1840 he declined to provide a dinner "according to promise" for the first Fair of the York Agricultural Society. Settler Dr Samuel Viveash commented in his diary entry of 22 December 1840: "Called on Monger, he was not inclined to settle my bill, indeed tried to snatch it out of my hand." Monger's "store" was on the opposite side of Avon Terrace, and was a "long, low building", and "every three months his wagons would journey to Guildford or Perth for supplies". The stone section on the south east corner of what is now called the sandalwood yards could have been this "long low building". In 1841, Monger built a windmill. The windmill was located on on the northeast corner, where the current sandalwood yards are located. Monger also built a blacksmith's shop on Town Lot 1 and engaged a blacksmith, but at the time he did not have a grant of the land and so he had to seek the Governor's permission to occupy his own building. He also applied for permission to occupy an island to the north of the ford as a summer hotel but the Governor refused this request. In November 1842, he advertised for "a steady, industrious man to take charge of and drive a team of bullocks, and otherwise make himself generally useful". Monger's mill appears not to have worked consistently as in a number of 1843 advertisements, Monger offered for sale "an excellent flour mill, now in good operation". One advantage of having a mill was that Monger could accept wheat after harvest instead of cash in payment for goods sold. In May 1844, Monger gave technical assistance to
Walkinshaw Cowan in his steam mill venture in Guildford, and was also an investor. In his diary, Cowan blamed the failure of the venture on "the misconduct and ignorance of an Engineer". In November 1844, Monger advertised his hotel ("the York Hotel") to be let for "one year to seven, as may be agreed on". The advertisement sets out a full description of the property. Monger was trying to find a buyer for the business "so that he could concentrate on his merchandising business [...] this included expanding his interests and also establishing himself as a collecting agent for Western Australia's burgeoning sandalwood industry". It appears that Monger did not find a tenant for the hotel because he continued to trade the hotel and advertise. Monger also continued offering goods for sale at his "stores". ==Sandalwood==