diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c7b7f25a..901dd95b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
     "npm": ">=3.0.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "aegir": "^11.0.0",
+    "aegir": "^11.0.1",
     "chai": "^3.5.0",
     "dirty-chai": "^1.2.2",
     "lodash": "^4.17.4",
@@ -53,13 +53,13 @@
     "async": "^2.1.5",
     "base32.js": "^0.1.0",
     "cids": "^0.4.2",
-    "datastore-core": "^0.1.0",
-    "datastore-fs": "^0.1.1",
-    "datastore-level": "^0.1.0",
+    "datastore-core": "^0.2.0",
+    "datastore-fs": "^0.2.0",
+    "datastore-level": "^0.3.0",
     "debug": "^2.6.3",
-    "interface-datastore": "^0.1.1",
+    "interface-datastore": "^0.2.0",
     "ipfs-block": "~0.6.0",
-    "level-js": "^2.2.4",
+    "level-js": "timkuijsten/level.js#idbunwrapper",
     "leveldown": "^1.6.0",
     "lock-me": "^1.0.2",
     "multiaddr": "^2.2.2",
@@ -81,4 +81,4 @@
     "nginnever <ginneversource@gmail.com>",
     "npmcdn-to-unpkg-bot <npmcdn-to-unpkg-bot@users.noreply.github.com>"
   ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 334a58f3..26d62e7e 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ class IpfsRepo {
       lock: 'fs'
     }, options)
     this._fsOptions = Object.assign({}, options.fsOptions)
-
     const FsStore = this.options.fs
     this._fsStore = new FsStore(this.path, Object.assign({}, this._fsOptions, {
       extension: ''
@@ -81,7 +80,14 @@ class IpfsRepo {
    */
   init (config, callback) {
     log('initializing at: %s', this.path)
+
     series([
+      (cb) => this._fsStore.open((err) => {
+        if (err && err.message === 'Already open') {
+          return cb()
+        }
+        cb(err)
+      }),
       (cb) => this.config.set(config, cb),
       (cb) => this.version.set(repoVersion, cb)
     ], callback)
@@ -102,6 +108,12 @@ class IpfsRepo {
 
     // check if the repo is already initialized
     waterfall([
+      (cb) => this._fsStore.open((err) => {
+        if (err && err.message === 'Already open') {
+          return cb()
+        }
+        cb(err)
+      }),
       (cb) => this._isInitialized(cb),
       (cb) => this._locker.lock(this.path, cb),
       (lck, cb) => {
@@ -155,10 +167,12 @@ class IpfsRepo {
    * @returns {void}
    */
   _isInitialized (callback) {
+    log('init check')
     parallel([
       (cb) => this.config.exists(cb),
       (cb) => this.version.check(repoVersion, cb)
     ], (err, res) => {
+      log('init', err, res)
       if (err) {
         return callback(err)
       }
@@ -192,10 +206,15 @@ class IpfsRepo {
       (cb) => this.store.close(cb),
       (cb) => this._fsStore.close(cb),
       (cb) => {
+        log('unlocking')
         this.closed = true
         this.lockfile.close(cb)
+      },
+      (cb) => {
+        this.lockfile = null
+        cb()
       }
-    ], callback)
+    ], (err) => callback(err))
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/test/blockstore-test.js b/test/blockstore-test.js
index 4449bed4..5bddc617 100644
--- a/test/blockstore-test.js
+++ b/test/blockstore-test.js
@@ -43,6 +43,15 @@ module.exports = (repo) => {
         ], done)
       })
 
+      it('empty value', (done) => {
+        const d = new Buffer(0)
+        multihashing(d, 'sha2-256', (err, multihash) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist()
+          const empty = new Block(d, new CID(multihash))
+          repo.blockstore.put(empty, done)
+        })
+      })
+
       it('massive multiwrite', (done) => {
         waterfall([
           (cb) => map(_.range(100), (i, cb) => {
diff --git a/test/repo-test.js b/test/repo-test.js
index 4d48c016..d0340959 100644
--- a/test/repo-test.js
+++ b/test/repo-test.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const chai = require('chai')
 chai.use(require('dirty-chai'))
 const expect = chai.expect
 const series = require('async/series')
+const waterfall = require('async/waterfall')
 
 const Repo = require('../src')
 
@@ -61,14 +62,32 @@ module.exports = (repo) => {
       })
 
       it('set version', (done) => {
-        repo.version.set(9000, (err) => {
-          expect(err).to.not.exist()
-          repo.version.get((err, version) => {
-            expect(err).to.not.exist()
+        waterfall([
+          (cb) => repo.version.set(9000, cb),
+          (cb) => repo.version.get(cb),
+          (version, cb) => {
             expect(version).to.equal(9000)
-            done()
-          })
-        })
+            cb()
+          },
+          (cb) => repo.version.set(5, cb)
+        ], done)
+      })
+    })
+
+    describe('lifecycle', () => {
+      it('close and open', (done) => {
+        waterfall([
+          (cb) => repo.close(cb),
+          (cb) => repo.open(cb),
+          (cb) => repo.close(cb),
+          (cb) => repo.open(cb),
+          (cb) => repo.version.get(cb),
+          (version, cb) => {
+            console.log(version)
+            expect(version).to.exist()
+            cb()
+          }
+        ], done)
       })
     })
   })