In December, the Post brought discouraging news that Bob Corton was planning to sell his two bars Sophie’s and Mona’s. Now the good news: We’ve discovered that Corton has transferred ownership to his brother and partner Richard, who plans to keep them more or less the same (a bartender at Sophie’s assures us, “There might be more toilet paper in the bathroom.”) Since 1986 and 1989 respectively, Sophie’s and Mona’s have been the local bars that everyone wishes they lived next to: Corton’s lament to the Post that they’re “dinosaurs” in the face of East Village gentrification is precisely the reason we’re glad they’re staying put, though we admit we were kind of hoping to score one of Mona’s church pews for our dream apartment.

Related: Bars Dive [NYP]