Meet Your Neighbors, The Pollock Family
The Love Language of the Pollocks
Bringing Bridal Romance to 78209
By Elizabeth Bobbitt | Photography by Matthew Gaskins
There is a certain romantic flair that defines the story of Michael and Lisa Jo Pollock. The pair met through a mutual friend in Florence, Italy, while Michael was a culinary student, and Lisa Jo was taking a solo trip across Europe.
“Our friend, Kelly, introduced us. I was just so lucky that it was her,” Michael says.
“At the time, I was living in Los Angeles,” Lisa Jo adds. “We spent about two weeks together sight-seeing around Florence and eating crostini in beautiful tavernas. It was very romantic, but I didn’t think I would see him again because we lived so far apart.”
Fast forward two years, and Michael, a native of San Diego, moved to Los Angeles to be closer to Lisa Jo, where he worked as a personal chef.
“He came back, we went on a date, and that was it,” Lisa Jo says.
Michael and Lisa Jo moved to the neighborhood in 2008, eventually settling in Terrell Hills several years later. In typical ’09 fashion, they were introduced to the neighborhood by close friends, Dorothy and Cory.
“We were very attracted to the wonderful life our friends led down here, especially considering the astronomical real estate prices in LA. We considered a lot of places when we relocated, but ultimately we decided that 78209 was the place for us,” Michael says.
Today, the Pollocks have two sons, Jake and Ryan. Raised in Terrell Hills from an early age, they spent their free time riding bikes down to the gully at the end of Ivy Lane or playing Little League baseball; Michael was their long-time coach. Jake graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 2024 and is a sophomore at Blinn College in College Station. Ryan is a junior at Alamo Heights, where he plays the tuba. He is a section leader in the school band and a First Sergeant in JROTC.
“When we first moved to ’09, we actually bought Cory’s mother’s house in Terrell Heights. For us, being in this neighborhood means being close to our friends. 78209 is so friendly. We know all of our neighbors, ” Lisa Jo says. “We even have our own cookie lady who lives right across the street at Ivy Lane Bakery. Why would we ever move?”
Realizing Bridal Dreams at “IDoTheDressIDo”
When Ryan was born prematurely in 2010, life for the Pollocks changed dramatically. In order to care for Ryan, Lisa Jo decided she needed to find a career where she could work from home. When she identified a gap in the bridal market for budget, off-the-rack wedding dresses, she found her calling.
“When Michael and I were first engaged, I went wedding dress shopping at a few boutiques. I didn’t know anything about the wedding dress market, and it was a discouraging experience. Back then, everything was ‘order only,’ and there was no ‘discount bridal’ concept. I knew there just had to be a better way. I found a wedding dress broker, and I spent all my wedding money on 100 dresses that I sold out of our house on Craigslist. My plan was to pick one wedding dress out of that group for myself, and to sell the rest to pay for our wedding,” Lisa Jo says.
“In 2013, we officially incorporated and moved the business, called ‘IDoTheDressIDo,’ into a retail space at 410 and Broadway,” Michael says.
Today, their thriving business is a monument to Lisa Jo’s persistence and the couple’s creative business acumen. Michael, head chef at “On the Good Side Catering,” provides artisanal charcuterie boards and desserts for all private appointments, complete with crystal champagne flutes, while Lisa Jo sources gowns from private labels, wholesale suppliers, and overstocked, high-end boutiques. Michael and Lisa Jo, together with their fitting consultants, ensure a personalized, welcoming environment, where a bride on any budget can choose from a wide selection of 1,400 dresses from over 50 designers.
“Our focus is in finding your wedding dress, right here, right now. That’s the magic of what we do,” Lisa Jo says.
The true magic, however, lies in Michael’s and Lisa Jo’s partnership, which the couple celebrates every New Year’s Eve.
“We got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2004, and I still wear my wedding dress to a friend’s New Year’s Eve party each year. It’s a fun way to celebrate how far we’ve come,” Lisa Jo says.
