diff --git a/db/load.go b/db/load.go
index d4d2bd40e..d81ee35da 100644
--- a/db/load.go
+++ b/db/load.go
@@ -24,20 +24,19 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/cayley/nquads"
 )
 
-type bulkLoadable interface {
-	// BulkLoad loads Triples from a channel in bulk to the TripleStore. It
-	// returns false if bulk loading is not possible (i.e. if you cannot load
-	// in bulk to a non-empty database, and the current database is non-empty)
-	BulkLoad(chan *graph.Triple) bool
-}
-
 func Load(ts graph.TripleStore, cfg *config.Config, triplePath string) {
 	tChan := make(chan *graph.Triple)
 	go ReadTriplesFromFile(tChan, triplePath)
 
-	bulker, canBulk := ts.(bulkLoadable)
-	if canBulk && bulker.BulkLoad(tChan) {
-		return
+	bulker, canBulk := ts.(graph.BulkLoader)
+	if canBulk {
+		err := bulker.BulkLoad(tChan)
+		if err == nil {
+			return
+		}
+		if err != graph.ErrCannotBulkLoad {
+			glog.Errorln("Error attempting to bulk load: ", err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	LoadTriplesInto(tChan, ts, cfg.LoadSize)
diff --git a/graph/leveldb/triplestore.go b/graph/leveldb/triplestore.go
index 798895a6d..75c995c4f 100644
--- a/graph/leveldb/triplestore.go
+++ b/graph/leveldb/triplestore.go
@@ -445,7 +445,5 @@ func (ts *TripleStore) FixedIterator() graph.FixedIterator {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	graph.RegisterTripleStore("leveldb",
-		graph.TripleStoreGetter(newTripleStore),
-		graph.TripleStoreInit(createNewLevelDB))
+	graph.RegisterTripleStore("leveldb", newTripleStore, createNewLevelDB)
 }
diff --git a/graph/memstore/triplestore.go b/graph/memstore/triplestore.go
index 29fe94cea..5b3413e6c 100644
--- a/graph/memstore/triplestore.go
+++ b/graph/memstore/triplestore.go
@@ -272,5 +272,5 @@ func (ts *TripleStore) Close() {}
 func init() {
 	graph.RegisterTripleStore("memstore", func(string, graph.Options) (graph.TripleStore, error) {
 		return newTripleStore(), nil
-	})
+	}, nil)
 }
diff --git a/graph/mongo/triplestore.go b/graph/mongo/triplestore.go
index 7ff220f17..81b1ceb4a 100644
--- a/graph/mongo/triplestore.go
+++ b/graph/mongo/triplestore.go
@@ -341,7 +341,5 @@ func (ts *TripleStore) BulkLoad(t_chan chan *graph.Triple) bool {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	graph.RegisterTripleStore("mongo",
-		graph.TripleStoreGetter(newTripleStore),
-		graph.TripleStoreInit(createNewMongoGraph))
+	graph.RegisterTripleStore("mongo", newTripleStore, createNewMongoGraph)
 }
diff --git a/graph/triplestore.go b/graph/triplestore.go
index f8ddef947..9b73735f1 100644
--- a/graph/triplestore.go
+++ b/graph/triplestore.go
@@ -119,34 +119,46 @@ func (d Options) StringKey(key string) (string, bool) {
 	return "", false
 }
 
-type TripleStoreGetter func(string, Options) (TripleStore, error)
-type TripleStoreInit func(string, Options) error
+var ErrCannotBulkLoad = fmt.Errorf("cannot bulk load")
 
-var storeRegistry = make(map[string]TripleStoreGetter)
-var storeInitRegistry = make(map[string]TripleStoreInit)
+type BulkLoader interface {
+	// BulkLoad loads Triples from a channel in bulk to the TripleStore. It
+	// returns ErrCannotBulkLoad if bulk loading is not possible (i.e. if you
+	// cannot load in bulk to a non-empty database, and the db is non-empty)
+	BulkLoad(chan *Triple) error
+}
+
+type NewStoreFunc func(string, Options) (TripleStore, error)
+type InitStoreFunc func(string, Options) error
 
-func RegisterTripleStore(name string, getter TripleStoreGetter, initer ...TripleStoreInit) {
+var storeRegistry = make(map[string]NewStoreFunc)
+var storeInitRegistry = make(map[string]InitStoreFunc)
+
+func RegisterTripleStore(name string, newFunc NewStoreFunc, initFunc InitStoreFunc) {
 	if _, found := storeRegistry[name]; found {
 		panic("already registered TripleStore " + name)
 	}
-	storeRegistry[name] = getter
-	if len(initer) > 0 {
-		storeInitRegistry[name] = initer[0]
+	storeRegistry[name] = newFunc
+	if initFunc != nil {
+		storeInitRegistry[name] = initFunc
 	}
 }
 
 func NewTripleStore(name, dbpath string, opts Options) (TripleStore, error) {
-	getter, hasGetter := storeRegistry[name]
-	if !hasGetter {
+	newFunc, hasNew := storeRegistry[name]
+	if !hasNew {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown triplestore '%s'", name)
 	}
-	return getter(dbpath, opts)
+	return newFunc(dbpath, opts)
 }
 
 func InitTripleStore(name, dbpath string, opts Options) error {
-	initer, hasInit := storeInitRegistry[name]
+	initFunc, hasInit := storeInitRegistry[name]
 	if hasInit {
-		return initer(dbpath, opts)
+		return initFunc(dbpath, opts)
+	}
+	if _, isRegistered := storeRegistry[name]; isRegistered {
+		return nil
 	}
 	return fmt.Errorf("unknown triplestore '%s'", name)
 }