diff --git a/src/rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup.erl b/src/rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup.erl
index a4ae8469dc4f..a33ffed56070 100644
--- a/src/rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup.erl
+++ b/src/rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup.erl
@@ -2,27 +2,30 @@
 
 -behaviour(supervisor2).
 
--export([start_link/4, init/1, add_vhost/2, client_init/5, start_vhost/5, successfully_recovered_state/2]).
+-export([start_link/3, init/1, add_vhost/2, client_init/5, successfully_recovered_state/2]).
 
-start_link(Name, Dir, ClientRefs, StartupFunState) ->
+%% Internal
+-export([start_vhost/4]).
+
+start_link(Name, ClientRefs, StartupFunState) ->
     supervisor2:start_link({local, Name}, ?MODULE,
-                           [Name, Dir, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]).
+                           [Name, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]).
 
-init([Name, Dir, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]) ->
+init([Name, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]) ->
     {ok, {{simple_one_for_one, 0, 1},
-        [{rabbit_msg_store_vhost, {rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup, start_vhost, 
-                                   [Name, Dir, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]},
+        [{rabbit_msg_store_vhost, {rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup, start_vhost,
+                                   [Name, ClientRefs, StartupFunState]},
            transient, infinity, supervisor, [rabbit_msg_store]}]}}.
 
 
 add_vhost(Name, VHost) ->
     supervisor2:start_child(Name, [VHost]).
 
-start_vhost(Name, Dir, ClientRefs, StartupFunState, VHost) ->
-    VHostName = get_vhost_name(Name, VHost),
-    VHostDir = get_vhost_dir(Dir, VHost),
+start_vhost(Name, ClientRefs, StartupFunState, VHost) ->
+    VHostName = vhost_store_name(Name, VHost),
+    VHostDir = vhost_store_dir(VHost),
     ok = rabbit_file:ensure_dir(VHostDir),
-    rabbit_msg_store:start_link(VHostName, VHostDir, 
+    rabbit_msg_store:start_link(VHostName, VHostDir,
                                 ClientRefs, StartupFunState).
 
 
@@ -31,27 +34,29 @@ client_init(Server, Ref, MsgOnDiskFun, CloseFDsFun, VHost) ->
     rabbit_msg_store:client_init(VHostName, Ref, MsgOnDiskFun, CloseFDsFun).
 
 maybe_start_vhost(Server, VHost) ->
-    VHostName = get_vhost_name(Server, VHost),
-    Trace = try throw(42) catch 42 -> erlang:get_stacktrace() end,
+    VHostName = vhost_store_name(Server, VHost),
     case whereis(VHostName) of
         undefined -> add_vhost(Server, VHost);
         _         -> ok
     end,
     VHostName.
 
-get_vhost_name(Name, VHost) ->
-    VhostEncoded = encode_vhost(VHost),
-    binary_to_atom(<<(atom_to_binary(Name, utf8))/binary, "_", VhostEncoded/binary>>, utf8).
+vhost_store_name(Name, VHost) ->
+    VhostEncoded = encode_vhost_name(VHost),
+    binary_to_atom(<<(atom_to_binary(Name, utf8))/binary, "_",
+                     VhostEncoded/binary>>,
+                   utf8).
 
-get_vhost_dir(Dir, VHost) ->
-    VhostEncoded = encode_vhost(VHost),
+vhost_store_dir(VHost) ->
+    Dir = rabbit_mnesia:dir(),
+    VhostEncoded = encode_vhost_name(VHost),
     binary_to_list(filename:join([Dir, VhostEncoded])).
 
-encode_vhost(VHost) ->
+encode_vhost_name(VHost) ->
     base64:encode(VHost).
 
 successfully_recovered_state(Name, VHost) ->
-    VHostName = get_vhost_name(Name, VHost),
+    VHostName = vhost_store_name(Name, VHost),
     rabbit_msg_store:successfully_recovered_state(VHostName).
 
 % force_recovery
diff --git a/src/rabbit_variable_queue.erl b/src/rabbit_variable_queue.erl
index 211f2158b4d2..ae76dde3e370 100644
--- a/src/rabbit_variable_queue.erl
+++ b/src/rabbit_variable_queue.erl
@@ -463,13 +463,13 @@ stop() ->
     ok = rabbit_queue_index:stop().
 
 start_msg_store(Refs, StartFunState) ->
-    VHosts = rabbit_vhost:list(),
     ok = rabbit_sup:start_child(?TRANSIENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup,
-                                [?TRANSIENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, rabbit_mnesia:dir(),
+                                [?TRANSIENT_MSG_STORE_SUP,
                                  undefined,  {fun (ok) -> finished end, ok}]),
     ok = rabbit_sup:start_child(?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup,
-                                [?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, rabbit_mnesia:dir(),
-                                 Refs, StartFunState]),
+                                [?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, Refs, StartFunState]),
+    %% Start message store for all known vhosts
+    VHosts = rabbit_vhost:list(),
     lists:foreach(
         fun(VHost) ->
             rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup:add_vhost(?TRANSIENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, VHost),
@@ -2765,7 +2765,7 @@ start_new_store_sup() ->
     % Start persistent store sup without recovery.
     ok = rabbit_sup:start_child(?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP,
                                 rabbit_msg_store_vhost_sup,
-                                [?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP, rabbit_mnesia:dir(),
+                                [?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP,
                                  undefined,  {fun (ok) -> finished end, ok}]),
     ?PERSISTENT_MSG_STORE_SUP.