In a small basement workshop in Olympia, candlemakers are working to light the way to a better future for their refugee neighbors.
Relume is an artisan candle shop founded by Karima Bassalé and Rand Roedell in October 2025 as a way to employ friends who were having a hard time finding work due to their status as refugees.
“He had seen how hard it was for them to get employment with a lack of English and, some of them, a lack of education,” Bassalé said of Roedell, who came up with the idea for Relume in early 2024.
The business’ name, “Relume,” an archaic term meaning “to relight” or “to reignite,” came from Bassalé and Roedell’s desire to “relight hope” for their refugee neighbors.
“Fueled by our belief that no refugee should be overlooked, Relume builds meaningful career and leadership pathways — to honor resilience, restore dignity, and relight hope,” Relume states on its website.
Roedell got the inspiration for a candle shop supporting refugees from Thistle Farms, a Tennessee business that supports sex trafficking survivors. He stumbled across the business while looking for meaningful knick-knacks for his daughter’s apartment, and took his business idea to Bassalé, who he befriended while they were both volunteers for World Relief Western Washington helping refugees settle in Thurston County.
While the business idea percolated, Bassalé became close friends with refugees Eiman and Tarek Obid, and saw up close how difficult it was for the couple to find work.
That firsthand knowledge of a situation many refugees in Thurston County face was the push Bassalé and Roedell needed to start Relume.
“I came to Rand one day and I was like, ‘That’s it. Let’s do this,’” Bassalé said.
Bassalé and Roedell got the business license for Relume in July 2025 and hired two candlemakers: Eiman Obid and Maguno Waziri.
Obid, 25, fled from her home country of Syria to Jordan at the age of 10. She later moved with her husband and two young sons to the United States in December 2024.
“Eiman is excited to work for Relume, and hopes ‘it will be a bright future for all of us,’” Relume says on its website.
Waziri left the Congo in the 1990s and lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania with her family for 30 years before arriving in Olympia with her two adult sons in 2023.
“When asked about her story, she says, ‘there were too many challenges to count,’” Relume said of Waziri on its website, adding that she “looks forward to ‘working in peace and security’ with Relume.”
In addition to their work making candles, Obid and Waziri take English classes at South Puget Sound Community College and practice English with volunteers at the shop.
“This is their candle shop. This is their space,” Roedell said of Obid and Waziri.
The two women make about 120 hand-poured candles per day, and work two days a week.
Prioritizing sustainability, Relume uses wax derived from U.S.-grown soybeans, phthalate-free fragrances, cotton wicks, and pots its candles in reusable Spanish glass jars.
Relume has produced and sold over 1,600 candles in its first three months and has seen tremendous support from the community.
“I’ve got a list of over 50 people that I call my ‘thank you list,’” Roedell said.
That list includes a photographer who offered to take Relume’s advertising photos for free; friends who built the workshop space; Reality local businesses who bought candles as gifts for clients and employees; and volunteers who help Obid and Waziri practice English.
Also on the list is a Chehalis business, The Ally Hair Bar, who offered to sell Relume candles in their lobby at no profit.
Building on a successful first three months, Bassalé and Roedell want to continue building Relume so they can afford to employ Obid and Waziri fulltime and hire more refugees living in the Olympia area.
Relume candles can now be bought in person at three locations — The Ally Hair Bar at 556 North Market Boulevard in Chehalis, Crossfit Lacey Training Day at 1210 Franz Street Southeast in Lacey, and Pilates Olympia at 825 Legion Way Suite 2C in Olympia.
Candles can also be purchased directly from Relume’s website at relumehope.com for delivery or local pickup at 1522 4th Avenue East in Olympia.
Business updates are posted regularly to Relume’s social media accounts at https://www.facebook.com/RelumeHope and instagram.com/relumehope.
