You probably should get an "expert" opinion from someone who can actually look at your bow. If by "bowed" you mean that it's been warped so that the center of the bow is further from the strings than the ends are, it's likely that it's just been left tight in the case and has warped.

If it's a decent to pretty good bow, a qualified bow worker might be able to re-bend it back to what it should be, but if it's actually a mediocre one it probably wouldn't be worth attempting to repair. Re-bending usually requires fixturing and heat and time - the first two of which run-of-the-mill "fixit shops" are not likely to have except as "jury-rigged setups," and the last of which costs money.

As to how "important" the bow is, advanced players quote the mantra that "the bow should cost twice as much as the fiddle." (Few actually live up to the rule.) For beginners or perpetual amateurs, probably the bow at half the price of the fiddle is a good place to shoot for, assuming that the fiddle is at least playable.

Every player has at least two opinions on all this, and I'm not actually a player; but I've listened to lots of opinions.

John