diff --git a/bitcask/bitcask.go b/bitcask/bitcask.go
index 3c0b44d..75c53b6 100644
--- a/bitcask/bitcask.go
+++ b/bitcask/bitcask.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
-	"git.tcp.direct/Mirrors/bitcask-mirror"
+	"git.mills.io/prologic/bitcask"
 
 	"git.tcp.direct/tcp.direct/database"
 	"git.tcp.direct/tcp.direct/database/kv"
@@ -227,6 +227,9 @@ func (db *DB) discover(force ...bool) ([]string, error) {
 		aclosed.Store(false)
 		db.store[name] = &Store{Bitcask: c, closed: aclosed}
 		if db.meta == nil {
+			// TODO: verify this:
+			// bitcask should store it's config in each store's individual metadata files (whereas pogreb doesn't seem to)
+			// this means we don't need to put the configs into our metadata, which is fortunate because the config is unexported
 			db.meta = metadata.NewMeta("bitcask")
 		}
 		if db.meta.KnownStores == nil {
diff --git a/bitcask/reg.go b/bitcask/reg.go
index 6c29f34..5bb5d8e 100644
--- a/bitcask/reg.go
+++ b/bitcask/reg.go
@@ -1,12 +1,37 @@
 package bitcask
 
 import (
+	"errors"
+
+	"git.mills.io/prologic/bitcask"
+
 	"git.tcp.direct/tcp.direct/database"
 	"git.tcp.direct/tcp.direct/database/registry"
 )
 
+var ErrBadOpt = errors.New("invalid bitcask options")
+
 func init() {
-	registry.RegisterKeeper("bitcask", func(path string) (database.Keeper, error) {
+	registry.RegisterKeeper("bitcask", func(path string, opt ...any) (database.Keeper, error) {
+		bitcaskOptions := make([]bitcask.Option, 0, len(opt))
+		for _, o := range opt {
+			var casted bitcask.Option
+			switch v := o.(type) {
+			case bitcask.Option:
+				casted = v
+			case *bitcask.Option:
+				casted = *v
+			case []bitcask.Option:
+				bitcaskOptions = append(bitcaskOptions, v...)
+				continue
+			default:
+				return nil, ErrBadOpt
+			}
+			bitcaskOptions = append(bitcaskOptions, casted)
+		}
+		if len(bitcaskOptions) > 0 {
+			defaultBitcaskOptions = append(defaultBitcaskOptions, bitcaskOptions...)
+		}
 		db := OpenDB(path)
 		err := db.init()
 		return db, err
diff --git a/loader/open.go b/loader/open.go
index c906a73..60b3f79 100644
--- a/loader/open.go
+++ b/loader/open.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"git.tcp.direct/tcp.direct/database/registry"
 )
 
-func OpenKeeper(path string) (database.Keeper, error) {
+func OpenKeeper(path string, opts ...any) (database.Keeper, error) {
 	stat, statErr := os.Stat(path)
 	if statErr != nil {
 		return nil, statErr
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func OpenKeeper(path string) (database.Keeper, error) {
 	if keeperCreator = registry.GetKeeper(meta.KeeperType); keeperCreator == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("keeper type %s not found in registry", meta.KeeperType)
 	}
-	keeper, err := keeperCreator(path)
+	keeper, err := keeperCreator(path, meta.DefStoreOpts)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error substantiating keeper: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/pogreb/opt.go b/pogreb/opt.go
index 954831d..3e99333 100644
--- a/pogreb/opt.go
+++ b/pogreb/opt.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package pogreb
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/akrylysov/pogreb"
 )
@@ -24,9 +25,9 @@ func SetPogrebOptions(options pogreb.Options) Option {
 }
 
 type WrappedOptions struct {
-	*pogreb.Options
+	*pogreb.Options `json:"options"`
 	// AllowRecovery allows the database to be recovered if a lockfile is detected upon running Init.
-	AllowRecovery bool
+	AllowRecovery bool `json:"allow_recovery,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func (w *WrappedOptions) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ var defaultPogrebOptions = &WrappedOptions{
 	AllowRecovery: false,
 }
 
+var defOptMu = sync.RWMutex{}
+
 var ErrInvalidOptions = errors.New("invalid pogreb options")
 
 func castOptions(pogrebopts ...any) (*WrappedOptions, error) {
@@ -81,13 +84,18 @@ func castOptions(pogrebopts ...any) (*WrappedOptions, error) {
 
 // SetDefaultPogrebOptions options will set the options used for all subsequent pogreb stores that are initialized.
 func SetDefaultPogrebOptions(pogrebopts ...any) (err error) {
+	defOptMu.Lock()
 	defaultPogrebOptions, err = castOptions(pogrebopts...)
+	defOptMu.Unlock()
 	return
 }
 
 func normalizeOptions(opts ...any) *WrappedOptions {
 	if len(opts) == 0 {
-		return defaultPogrebOptions
+		defOptMu.RLock()
+		defOpt := defaultPogrebOptions
+		defOptMu.RUnlock()
+		return defOpt
 	}
 
 	opt, err := castOptions(opts[0])
diff --git a/pogreb/pogreb.go b/pogreb/pogreb.go
index c2fc674..9e9ed53 100644
--- a/pogreb/pogreb.go
+++ b/pogreb/pogreb.go
@@ -220,7 +220,16 @@ func (db *DB) _init() error {
 	}
 
 	if errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
-		db.meta, err = metadata.NewMetaFile(db.Type(), filepath.Join(db.path, "meta.json"))
+		dest := filepath.Join(db.path, "meta.json")
+		f, ferr := os.Create(dest)
+		if ferr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error creating meta file: %w", ferr)
+		}
+		defOptMu.RLock()
+		db.meta = metadata.NewMeta(metadata.KeeperType(db.Type())).
+			WithDefaultStoreOpts(defaultPogrebOptions).WithWriter(f)
+		defOptMu.RUnlock()
+		err = db.meta.Sync()
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("error creating meta file: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -287,7 +296,9 @@ func (db *DB) Init(storeName string, opts ...any) error {
 	if err := db.init(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	defOptMu.RLock()
 	pogrebopts := defaultPogrebOptions
+	defOptMu.RUnlock()
 	if len(opts) > 0 {
 		pogrebopts = normalizeOptions(opts...)
 		if pogrebopts == nil {
@@ -312,26 +323,22 @@ func (db *DB) With(storeName string) database.Filer {
 		db.mu.RUnlock()
 		return nil
 	}
-	if ok {
-		if d.closed == nil || d.DB == nil || d.closed.Load() {
-			db.mu.RUnlock()
-			db.mu.Lock()
-			delete(db.store, storeName)
-			if err := db.initStore(storeName, defaultPogrebOptions); err != nil {
-				_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("error creating pogreb store: " + err.Error())
-				db.mu.Unlock()
-				return nil
-			}
+	if d.closed == nil || d.DB == nil || d.closed.Load() {
+		db.mu.RUnlock()
+		db.mu.Lock()
+		delete(db.store, storeName)
+		defOptMu.RLock()
+		if err := db.initStore(storeName, defaultPogrebOptions); err != nil {
+			_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("error creating pogreb store: " + err.Error())
+			defOptMu.RUnlock()
 			db.mu.Unlock()
-			return db.store[storeName]
+			return nil
 		}
-		db.mu.RUnlock()
-		return d
+		defOptMu.RUnlock()
+		db.mu.Unlock()
+		return db.store[storeName]
 	}
 	db.mu.RUnlock()
-	if d != nil && d.DB == nil {
-		d = nil
-	}
 	return d
 }
 
@@ -551,14 +558,19 @@ func (db *DB) discover(force ...bool) ([]string, error) {
 		if _, ok := db.store[name]; ok {
 			continue
 		}
-		if err = db.initStore(name, defaultPogrebOptions); err != nil {
+		defOptMu.RLock()
+		defOpt := defaultPogrebOptions
+		defOptMu.RUnlock()
+		if err = db.initStore(name, defOpt); err != nil {
 			errs = append(errs, err)
 			continue
 		}
 		stores = append(stores, name)
 		aclosed := &atomic.Bool{}
 		aclosed.Store(false)
-		db.store[name] = &Store{DB: db.store[name].DB, closed: aclosed, opts: defaultPogrebOptions}
+		defOptMu.RLock()
+		db.store[name] = &Store{DB: db.store[name].DB, closed: aclosed, opts: defOpt}
+		defOptMu.RUnlock()
 	}
 
 	for _, e := range errs {
diff --git a/pogreb/reg.go b/pogreb/reg.go
index 900441f..4cfec34 100644
--- a/pogreb/reg.go
+++ b/pogreb/reg.go
@@ -6,7 +6,19 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	registry.RegisterKeeper("pogreb", func(path string) (database.Keeper, error) {
+	registry.RegisterKeeper("pogreb", func(path string, opts ...any) (database.Keeper, error) {
+		if len(opts) > 1 {
+			return nil, ErrInvalidOptions
+		}
+		if len(opts) == 1 {
+			casted, castErr := castOptions(opts...)
+			if castErr != nil {
+				return nil, castErr
+			}
+			defOptMu.Lock()
+			defaultPogrebOptions = casted
+			defOptMu.Unlock()
+		}
 		db := OpenDB(path)
 		err := db.init()
 		return db, err
diff --git a/test/mock.go b/test/mock.go
index 03ac7fc..e3aa0a7 100644
--- a/test/mock.go
+++ b/test/mock.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func (m *MockKeeper) WriteMeta(path string) error {
 	mockMu.Lock()
 	mockKeepers[m.name] = m.AllStores()
 	mockMu.Unlock()
-	registry.RegisterKeeper(m.name, func(path string) (database.Keeper, error) {
+	registry.RegisterKeeper(m.name, func(path string, _ ...any) (database.Keeper, error) {
 		return NewMockKeeper(m.name), nil
 	})
 
diff --git a/util.go b/util.go
index 912b186..83f9363 100644
--- a/util.go
+++ b/util.go
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package database
 
 import "errors"
 
-type KeeperCreator func(path string) (Keeper, error)
+type KeeperCreator func(path string, opt ...any) (Keeper, error)
 
 var ErrNotStore = errors.New("provided Filer does not implement Store")