My name is Sharon, but you can call me Betty

Howdy,

I’m Sharon McRill. I’ve been an Ann Arbor resident since I was an undergrad at University of Michigan in 1992. I love Ann Arbor, although when I first moved here I was not the fan of A2 that I am now.

For example, “Townies” don’t talk to students (unless they are ordering a meal). And the students are part of the “transient population” so I heard folks tell me that it wasn’t worth getting to know the students. So, I believed that Ann Arbor was a really unfriendly place to live.

I was also constantly getting lost because Main Street became Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Washtenaw turns into Huron, which turns into Jackson Road…seriously, who wouldn’t get lost! I was convinced Ann Arbor was actually a series of small tectonic plates continually shifting to make my life (or at least my driving) more difficult.

Luckily I worked at a few places that allowed me to see it was actually a pretty cool place to live. I spent six years at The Red Hawk, schlepping burgers & drinks, then almost seven years at Borders headquarters (known as BINC to the insiders). Then, as luck would have it, I got laid off.

Ok, now this is no big deal, but when it happened in 2002, it was as if I was a pariah. While I was feeling sorry for myself (fetal-position/jammies/ice cream) I was watching Oprah. She was doing one of those “live your best life” shows….and I sat up. I realized the people on the screen in front of me weren’t any smarter than me, they were just more motivated (and on TV).

That was the beginning of my business, The Betty Brigade.

After almost six years of personal assistance & concierge work, this new-fangled Ann Arbor.com asked me to start writing about what I know. So, that’s it folks, you’re gonna get FAQs (which means Frequently Asked Questions), weird stories, how-to do almost anything for your home…we’re really pretty good at helping folks.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you and I hope you’ll let me know how I’m doing because I can’t improve without your help. So shoot me an e-mail…I’m glad to hear your comments!

Sharon McRill is the President of The Betty Brigade, a full service personal assistance & concierge business based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at sharon@bettybrigade.com