diff --git a/arbor-postgres.cabal b/arbor-postgres.cabal
--- a/arbor-postgres.cabal
+++ b/arbor-postgres.cabal
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
--- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.28.2.
+-- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.18.1.
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
---
--- hash: 7a648493a1802368bb2f1a09b72f5ee62b46affb3916b8846f6d9d0d6e8c8b84
 
 name:           arbor-postgres
-version:        0.0.1
+version:        0.0.2
 synopsis:       Convenience types and functions for postgresql-simple.
 description:    Please see the README on Github at <https://github.com/arbor/arbor-postgres#readme>
 category:       Services
@@ -18,6 +16,7 @@
 license-file:   LICENSE
 build-type:     Simple
 cabal-version:  >= 1.10
+
 extra-source-files:
     ChangeLog.md
     README.md
@@ -32,13 +31,14 @@
   default-extensions: BangPatterns FlexibleContexts FlexibleInstances GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving MultiParamTypeClasses OverloadedStrings TupleSections
   ghc-options: -Wall -Wcompat -Wincomplete-record-updates -Wincomplete-uni-patterns -Wredundant-constraints
   build-depends:
-      base >=4.7 && <5
-    , generic-lens >=1.0.0.2 && <2
-    , lens >=4.16 && <5
-    , network-uri >=2.6 && <3
-    , optparse-applicative >=0.14 && <0.15
-    , postgresql-simple >=0.5 && <0.6
-    , text >=1.2 && <1.3
+      base                  >= 4.7      && < 5
+    , bytestring            >= 0.10     && < 0.11
+    , generic-lens          >= 1.0.0.2  && < 2
+    , lens                  >= 4.16     && < 5
+    , network-uri           >= 2.6      && < 3
+    , optparse-applicative  >= 0.14     && < 0.15
+    , postgresql-simple     >= 0.5      && < 0.6
+    , text                  >= 1.2      && < 1.3
   exposed-modules:
       Arbor.Postgres.Config
       Arbor.Postgres.Core
diff --git a/src/Arbor/Postgres/Core.hs b/src/Arbor/Postgres/Core.hs
--- a/src/Arbor/Postgres/Core.hs
+++ b/src/Arbor/Postgres/Core.hs
@@ -1,40 +1,68 @@
-{-# LANGUAGE DataKinds        #-}
-{-# LANGUAGE TypeApplications #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE DataKinds         #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE TypeApplications  #-}
 
 module Arbor.Postgres.Core where
 
-import Arbor.Postgres.Config     (PostgresConfig)
 import Arbor.Postgres.Password
+import Control.Exception         (catch, throw)
 import Control.Lens
+import Control.Monad             (void)
+import Data.ByteString
 import Data.Generics.Product.Any
+import Data.Int
 import Data.Monoid               ((<>))
 import Data.String
 import Network.URI
 
+import qualified Arbor.Postgres.Config      as Z
 import qualified Arbor.Postgres.Env         as E
 import qualified Data.Text                  as T
 import qualified Data.Text.Encoding         as T
 import qualified Database.PostgreSQL.Simple as PGS
 
-connectPostgres :: PostgresConfig -> IO E.PostgresEnv
-connectPostgres postgresConfig = do
-  let host     = postgresConfig ^. the @"host"
-  let dbname   = postgresConfig ^. the @"database"
-  let user     = postgresConfig ^. the @"user"
-  let mPassword = postgresConfig ^. the @"password"
+parseConfig :: Z.PostgresConfig -> ByteString
+parseConfig postgresConfig = do
+  let host       = postgresConfig ^. the @"host"
+  let dbname     = postgresConfig ^. the @"database"
+  let user       = postgresConfig ^. the @"user"
+  let mPassword  = postgresConfig ^. the @"password"
   let kvPassword = case mPassword of
         Just (Password password) -> [("password", password)]
         Nothing                  -> []
   let kvs = [("host", host), ("dbname", dbname), ("user", user)] <> kvPassword
-  let kvStrings = kvs <&> (\(k, v) -> k <> "='" <> v <> "'")
-  conn <- PGS.connectPostgreSQL $ T.encodeUtf8 $ T.intercalate " " kvStrings
+  let pairs = kvs <&> (\(k, v) -> k <> "='" <> v <> "'")
+  T.encodeUtf8 $ T.intercalate " " pairs
+
+-- because we need a double quoted, not single quoted string,
+-- we need to explicitly not use sql interpolation here.
+createDatabaseStatement :: T.Text -> PGS.Query
+createDatabaseStatement db = fromString . T.unpack $ "CREATE DATABASE \"" <> db <> "\""
+
+createDatabase :: Z.PostgresConfig -> IO ()
+createDatabase postgresConfig = do
+  conn <- PGS.connectPostgreSQL $ parseConfig $ postgresConfig { Z.database = "postgres" }
+  let q = createDatabaseStatement (postgresConfig ^. the @"database")
+  void $ PGS.execute_ conn q `catch` duplicateDatabase
+
+-- https://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.2/static/errcodes-appendix.html
+-- 42P04	DUPLICATE DATABASE	duplicate_database
+duplicateDatabase :: PGS.SqlError -> IO Int64
+duplicateDatabase e =
+  if PGS.sqlState e == "42P04"
+    then return 0
+    else throw e
+
+connectPostgres :: Z.PostgresConfig -> IO E.PostgresEnv
+connectPostgres postgresConfig = do
+  conn <- PGS.connectPostgreSQL $ parseConfig postgresConfig
   return $ E.PostgresEnv conn (mkConnectionString postgresConfig)
 
 newtype Table = Table
   { table :: T.Text }
   deriving (IsString, Show)
 
-mkConnectionString :: PostgresConfig -> URI
+mkConnectionString :: Z.PostgresConfig -> URI
 mkConnectionString config = do
   let host = config ^. the @"host" & T.unpack
   let dbname = config ^. the @"database" & T.unpack