Mona Lopez met Al Howard when she was working at a bar in the Bronx. A detective with the New York Police Department, he would come into the bar to make sure that police were not stopping by and drinking while on duty. When Mr. Howard purchased Showman’s in 1978, he convinced Mona to check out his new place on 125th Street for a few days. Those “few days” turned into “over forty years,” Mona said. “It’s been good. I’ve met a lot of great people. Mr. Howard is now in his nineties, he would like to sell Showman’s, and when he goes, so do I.
Mona never tires of relaying the story that made Mr. Howard a hero in Harlem. On his first day out with his partner Phil Romans in 1958, Mr. Howard got a call that there was a problem at a book signing involving Martin Luther King Jr. A “crazy” woman had stabbed him with a letter opener, missing his heart by a speck. Mr. Howard told another woman who was about to pull the letter opener out to not touch it — and warned Dr. King not to “sneeze or move” as he could sense that the opener was too close to his heart and could be fatal. Mr. Howard and his officers summoned the ambulance that took Dr. King to Harlem Hospital, where they saved his life.
Showman’s has had three homes through its long life in Harlem. When they were located next door to the Apollo Theater, Mr. Howard had the 125th Street beat. “He fell in love with the people going in and out of the theater dressed up in proper attire.” The musicians would then go into Showman’s on their breaks and hang out, sometimes performing.
The first Showman’s location held 300 people, the second could accommodate half that amount, and since 1999, the bar has the capacity to hold only eighty. Mona describes this space as far more intimate. No food is served, but occasionally she will cook something up and everyone is invited for a potluck dinner during the three performances each week. Mona welcomes the younger generation, particularly the students from Columbia University who appreciate the history and charm that Showman’s offers — but she emphasized, “Believe it or not, there are still people left who have been coming to Showman’s longer than I have been working here.”