Our Team

Valerie Leachman

Valerie is the owner/proprietor of The Way We Were. She is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and she can whip up a mean dinner party! Valerie loves fashion - she studied it at Sheridan college - she also loves animals, and enjoys travelling the world with her husband; she’ll happily tell you of her time spent in Italy. In her spare time, Val enjoys poking around vintage and consignment stores to find that perfect outfit or new décor piece for her home.

Lindsay Judge

Lindsay joined The Way We Were ten years ago. She didn’t know much about consignment, but she quickly grew to love everything about it! Lindsay loves spending quality time with her friends and family; a hockey mom, dance mom, and mini golden-doodle mom, Lindsay loves music and a good kitchen dance party! She is equally happy getting dressed up for a night out on the town, or just putting on something comfy to sit by a campfire.

Mary Johnston

A long-time lover of consignment shopping, Mary joined The Way We Were team in 2017. Before joining, she was a (very) regular customer! A mom to all boys, Mary sees fashion and consignment as her “girl” time. She looks forward to coming in every day to mingle with the store’s wonderful consignors, and to see what new treasures have come in!

Shawna Burns

Shawna was a regular customer before joining The Way We Were in 2019. Her love of fashion began at a young age, when she spent hours dressing up her Barbie dolls in as many fashionable outfits as she could get her hands on! Our resident flat lay and mannequin expert, Shawna credits these early years for her love of creating outfits for the store. In her spare time, Shawna enjoys cooking and baking, decorating, travelling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Jo-Anne O'Quinn

Jo-Anne was introduced to fashion and consignment at a very young age. Every Saturday, she and her family would pile into the car and set off on a shopping adventure to see who would find the "Treasure of the Week." Her joy in keeping this family tradition alive continues today! When not out searching for new and unique pieces to add to her wardrobe, Joanne is a proud golden doodle mom who enjoys spending time with her family and friends, curling up with a good book, tending to her garden, kayaking, and traveling (with some time set aside to hunt for the latest Treasure of the Week, of course!)

Annette Graydon

Annette has a lifelong passion for fashion. She is a firm believer that runway taste on a department store budget is more than possible. She loves clothing with lots of color and texture; wearable art is her jam! Annette loves helping women to find their "look" and to feel their best, and so considers her work at The Way We Were to be a pleasure and a privilege that she looks forward to.

Lyn Walsh

Lyn’s entire life has revolved around a deep and abiding appreciation for nature, creativity, and a passion for searching (also known as shopping!) She is a graphic arts graduate, an advertising agency creative coordinator, an antiques collector, and a long-time consignment shopper and salesperson. Lyn loves her life on her hobby farm complete with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and a great husband. Now semi-retired, she’s settled on a little bit of all the above, along with her job at The Way We Were.

Meet the Team: Meet the Team