diff --git a/libraries/botbuilder-azure/botbuilder/azure/blob_storage.py b/libraries/botbuilder-azure/botbuilder/azure/blob_storage.py
index f1c6eaf4d..ae3ad1766 100644
--- a/libraries/botbuilder-azure/botbuilder/azure/blob_storage.py
+++ b/libraries/botbuilder-azure/botbuilder/azure/blob_storage.py
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 import json
 from typing import Dict, List
 
+from jsonpickle import encode
+from jsonpickle.unpickler import Unpickler
+
 from azure.storage.blob import BlockBlobService, Blob, PublicAccess
-from botbuilder.core import Storage, StoreItem
+from botbuilder.core import Storage
 
 # TODO: sanitize_blob_name
 
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ async def read(self, keys: List[str]) -> Dict[str, object]:
 
         return items
 
-    async def write(self, changes: Dict[str, StoreItem]):
+    async def write(self, changes: Dict[str, object]):
         self.client.create_container(self.settings.container_name)
         self.client.set_container_acl(
             self.settings.container_name, public_access=PublicAccess.Container
@@ -71,10 +74,11 @@ async def write(self, changes: Dict[str, StoreItem]):
             )
             if e_tag:
                 item.e_tag = e_tag.replace('"', '\\"')
+            item_str = self._store_item_to_str(item)
             self.client.create_blob_from_text(
                 container_name=self.settings.container_name,
                 blob_name=name,
-                text=str(item),
+                text=item_str,
                 if_match=e_tag,
             )
 
@@ -95,8 +99,12 @@ async def delete(self, keys: List[str]):
                     container_name=self.settings.container_name, blob_name=key
                 )
 
-    def _blob_to_store_item(self, blob: Blob) -> StoreItem:
+    def _blob_to_store_item(self, blob: Blob) -> object:
         item = json.loads(blob.content)
         item["e_tag"] = blob.properties.etag
         item["id"] = blob.name
-        return StoreItem(**item)
+        result = Unpickler().restore(item)
+        return result
+
+    def _store_item_to_str(self, item: object) -> str:
+        return encode(item)
diff --git a/libraries/botbuilder-azure/tests/test_blob_storage.py b/libraries/botbuilder-azure/tests/test_blob_storage.py
index 4ccaf1225..b29d2ad9f 100644
--- a/libraries/botbuilder-azure/tests/test_blob_storage.py
+++ b/libraries/botbuilder-azure/tests/test_blob_storage.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ async def test_blob_storage_read_should_return_data_with_valid_key(self):
 
         data = await storage.read(["user"])
         assert "user" in data
-        assert data["user"].counter == "1"
+        assert data["user"].counter == 1
         assert len(data.keys()) == 1
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not EMULATOR_RUNNING, reason="Needs the emulator to run.")
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ async def test_blob_storage_read_update_should_return_new_etag(self):
         data_result["test"].counter = 2
         await storage.write(data_result)
         data_updated = await storage.read(["test"])
-        assert data_updated["test"].counter == "2"
+        assert data_updated["test"].counter == 2
         assert data_updated["test"].e_tag != data_result["test"].e_tag
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not EMULATOR_RUNNING, reason="Needs the emulator to run.")
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ async def test_blob_storage_write_should_add_new_value(self):
 
         data = await storage.read(["user"])
         assert "user" in data
-        assert data["user"].counter == "1"
+        assert data["user"].counter == 1
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not EMULATOR_RUNNING, reason="Needs the emulator to run.")
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ async def test_blob_storage_write_should_overwrite_when_new_e_tag_is_an_asterisk
 
         await storage.write({"user": SimpleStoreItem(counter=10, e_tag="*")})
         data = await storage.read(["user"])
-        assert data["user"].counter == "10"
+        assert data["user"].counter == 10
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not EMULATOR_RUNNING, reason="Needs the emulator to run.")
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ async def test_blob_storage_write_batch_operation(self):
         assert data["batch1"]
         assert data["batch2"]
         assert data["batch3"]
-        assert data["batch1"].counter == "1"
-        assert data["batch2"].counter == "1"
-        assert data["batch3"].counter == "1"
+        assert data["batch1"].counter == 1
+        assert data["batch2"].counter == 1
+        assert data["batch3"].counter == 1
         assert data["batch1"].e_tag
         assert data["batch2"].e_tag
         assert data["batch3"].e_tag