diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c4818d1..89e6c05 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ extern crate rocksdb;
 use rocksdb::Rocksdb;
 
 fn main() {
-  match Rocksdb::open_default("/path/for/rocksdb/storage".to_string()) {
+  match Rocksdb::open_default("/path/for/rocksdb/storage") {
     Ok(db) => {
       db.put(b"my key", b"my value");
 
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index dc1180b..578b408 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use test::Bencher;
 
 #[allow(dead_code)]
 fn main() {
-  match Rocksdb::open_default("/tmp/rust-rocksdb".to_string()) {
+  match Rocksdb::open_default("/tmp/rust-rocksdb") {
     Ok(db) => {
       assert!(db.put(b"my key", b"my value").is_ok());
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ fn main() {
 #[allow(dead_code)]
 #[bench]
 fn writes(b: &mut Bencher) {
-  let db = open("testdb".to_string(), true).unwrap();
+  let db = Rocksdb::open_default("testdb").unwrap();
   let mut i = 0 as u64;
   b.iter(|| {
     db.put(i.to_string().as_bytes(), b"v1111");
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ fn writes(b: &mut Bencher) {
 #[allow(dead_code)]
 #[bench]
 fn reads(b: &mut Bencher) {
-  let db = open("testdb".to_string(), true).unwrap();
+  let db = Rocksdb::open_default("testdb").unwrap();
   let mut i = 0 as u64;
   b.iter(|| {
     db.get(i.to_string().as_bytes()).on_error(
diff --git a/src/rocksdb.rs b/src/rocksdb.rs
index efb7e92..bb4dfde 100644
--- a/src/rocksdb.rs
+++ b/src/rocksdb.rs
@@ -57,13 +57,13 @@ pub struct Rocksdb {
 }
 
 impl Rocksdb {
-  pub fn open_default(path: String) -> Result<Rocksdb, String> {
+  pub fn open_default(path: &str) -> Result<Rocksdb, String> {
     let opts = RocksdbOptions::new();
     opts.create_if_missing(true);
     Rocksdb::open(opts, path)
   }
 
-  pub fn open(opts: RocksdbOptions, path: String) -> Result<Rocksdb, String> {
+  pub fn open(opts: RocksdbOptions, path: &str) -> Result<Rocksdb, String> {
     unsafe {
       let cpath = path.to_c_str();
       let cpath_ptr = cpath.as_ptr();
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ impl <'a,T,E> RocksdbResult<'a,T,E> {
 #[allow(dead_code)]
 #[test]
 fn external() {
-  let db = open("externaltest".to_string(), true).unwrap();
+  let db = Rocksdb::open_default("externaltest").unwrap();
   let p = db.put(b"k1", b"v1111");
   assert!(p.is_ok());
   let r: RocksdbResult<RocksdbVector, String> = db.get(b"k1");