diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index ebdccab..52dc976 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ class Configstore {
 			path.join('configstore', `${id}.json`);
 
 		this.path = opts.configPath || path.join(configDir, pathPrefix);
-		this.all = Object.assign({}, defaults, this.all);
+
+		if (defaults) {
+			  this.all = Object.assign({}, defaults, this.all);
+		}
 	}
 
 	get all() {
@@ -31,7 +34,6 @@ class Configstore {
 		} catch (err) {
 			// Create dir if it doesn't exist
 			if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
-				makeDir.sync(path.dirname(this.path), makeDirOptions);
 				return {};
 			}
 
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index 07df43b..c459d9a 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import Configstore from '.';
 const configstorePath = new Configstore('configstore-test').path;
 
 test.beforeEach(t => {
-	fs.unlinkSync(configstorePath);
+	cleanUpFile();
 	t.context.conf = new Configstore('configstore-test');
 });
 
@@ -118,6 +118,20 @@ test('support `configPath` option', t => {
 });
 
 test('ensure `.all` is always an object', t => {
-	fs.unlinkSync(configstorePath);
+	cleanUpFile();
 	t.notThrows(() => t.context.conf.get('foo'));
 });
+
+test('the store is NOT created until write', t => {
+	cleanUpFile();
+	const conf = new Configstore('configstore-test');
+	t.false(fs.existsSync(conf.path));
+	conf.set('foo', 'bar');
+	t.true(fs.existsSync(conf.path));
+});
+
+function cleanUpFile() {
+	if (fs.existsSync(configstorePath)) {
+		fs.unlinkSync(configstorePath);
+	}
+}