diff --git a/examol/store/db/__init__.py b/examol/store/db/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa3db99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examol/store/db/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+"""Tools for interfacing with data stores"""
diff --git a/examol/store/db/base.py b/examol/store/db/base.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b9e3e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examol/store/db/base.py
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+"""Base classes for storage utilities"""
+import gzip
+from typing import Iterable
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from examol.store.models import MoleculeRecord
+
+
+class MoleculeStore:
+    """Base class defining how to interface with a dataset of molecule records.
+
+    Data stores provide the ability to persist the data collected by ExaMol to disk during a run.
+    The :meth:`update_record` call need not imemdaitely
+
+    Stores do not need support concurrent access from multiple client, which is why this documentation avoids the word "database."
+
+
+    """
+
+    def __getitem__(self, mol_key: str) -> MoleculeRecord:
+        """Retrieve a molecule record"""
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
+    def iterate_over_records(self) -> Iterable[MoleculeRecord]:
+        """Iterate over all records in data
+
+        Yields:
+            A single record
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
+    def update_record(self, record: MoleculeRecord):
+        """Update a single record
+
+        Args:
+            record: Record to be updated
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
+    def close(self):
+        """Block until all changes to the database have been written to disk"""
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
+    def export_records(self, path: Path):
+        """Save a current copy of the database to disk as line-delimited JSON
+
+        Args:
+            path: Path in which to save all data. Use a ".json.gz"
+        """
+
+        with (gzip.open(path, 'wt') if path.name.endswith('.gz') else open(path, 'w')) as fp:
+            for record in self.iterate_over_records():
+                print(record.to_json(), file=fp)
diff --git a/examol/store/db/memory.py b/examol/store/db/memory.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b33f88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examol/store/db/memory.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+"""Stores that keep the entire dataset in memory"""
+import gzip
+import logging
+from pathlib import Path
+from time import monotonic
+from threading import Thread, Event
+from typing import Iterable
+
+from examol.store.db.base import MoleculeStore
+from examol.store.models import MoleculeRecord
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class InMemoryStore(MoleculeStore):
+    """Store all molecule records in memory, write to disk as a single file
+
+    The class will start checkpointing as soon as any record is updated.
+
+    Args:
+        path: Path from which to read data. Must be a JSON file, can be compressed with GZIP
+        write_freq: Minimum time between writing checkpoints
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, path: Path, write_freq: float = 10.):
+        self.path = Path(path)
+        self.write_freq = write_freq
+        self.db: dict[str, MoleculeRecord] = {}
+
+        # Start thread which writes until
+        self._write_thread = None
+        self._updates_available: Event = Event()
+        self._closing = Event()
+
+        # Start by loading the molecules
+        self._load_molecules()
+
+    def _load_molecules(self):
+        """Load molecules from disk"""
+        if not self.path.is_file():
+            return
+        logger.info(f'Loading data from {self.path}')
+        with (gzip.open(self.path, 'rt') if self.path.name.endswith('.gz') else self.path.open()) as fp:
+            for line in fp:
+                record = MoleculeRecord.from_json(line)
+                self.db[record.key] = record
+
+    def iterate_over_records(self) -> Iterable[MoleculeRecord]:
+        yield from list(self.db.values())  # Use `list` to copy the current state of the db and avoid errors due to concurrent writes
+
+    def __getitem__(self, item):
+        return self.db[item]
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        return len(self.db)
+
+    def _writer(self):
+        next_write = 0
+        while not self._closing.is_set():
+            # Wait until updates are available and the standoff is not met, or if we're closing
+            while (monotonic() < next_write or not self._updates_available.is_set()) and not self._closing.is_set():
+                self._updates_available.wait(timeout=1)
+
+            # Mark that we've caught up with whatever signaled this thread
+            self._updates_available.clear()
+
+            # Checkpoint and advance the standoff
+            self.export_records(self.path)
+            next_write = monotonic() + self.write_freq
+
+    def update_record(self, record: MoleculeRecord):
+        self.db[record.key] = record
+
+        # Start the write thread, if needed, and trigger it
+        if self._write_thread is None:
+            logger.info('Start the writing thread')
+            self._write_thread = Thread(target=self._writer)
+            self._write_thread.start()
+        self._updates_available.set()
+
+    def close(self):
+        # Trigger a last write
+        self._closing.set()
+        if self._write_thread is not None:
+            self._write_thread.join()
+
+        # Mark that we're closed
+        self._write_thread = None
+        self._closing.clear()
diff --git a/tests/store/test_memory.py b/tests/store/test_memory.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f10238
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/store/test_memory.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"""Test an in-memory store for molecular data"""
+
+from pytest import fixture
+
+from examol.store.db.memory import InMemoryStore
+from examol.store.models import MoleculeRecord
+
+
+@fixture()
+def records() -> list[MoleculeRecord]:
+    return [MoleculeRecord.from_identifier(smiles) for smiles in ['C', 'O', 'N']]
+
+
+def test_store(tmpdir, records):
+    # Open the database
+    db_path = tmpdir / 'db.json.gz'
+    store = InMemoryStore(db_path)
+    try:
+        assert len(store) == 0
+
+        # Add the records
+        for record in records:
+            store.update_record(record)
+        assert len(store) == 3
+
+    finally:
+        store.close()
+
+    # Load database back in
+    store = InMemoryStore(db_path)
+    try:
+        assert len(store) == 3
+    finally:
+        store.close()