Local singer Ty Lewis lent his ‘Voice’ to help open a new £150,000, 5,000 square-foot flooring store on Teesside.
Ahead of competing in the final knockout stage of ITV’s The Voice, the 19-year-old, from Billingham, was the surprise guest of honour at the recent opening of Flooring Superstore’s 18th UK store on the Ludstrum Retail Park, Portrack Lane, Stockton.
He drew plenty of looks, gasps and cheers from onlookers as he cut the ribbon to celebrate Flooring Superstore’s first-ever Teesside store.
Ty was taking time out from wowing the celebrity judges, audience members and the three million people who tune in every week to watch The Voice.
This comes after he was chosen to be on Olly Murrs’ team and subsequently winning his battle round, which now sees him going through to the last knockout stage, which for him happens on Saturday 21st March.
He said: “It’s all gone a bit crazy since I was chosen and now being asked to do things like opening a new store is all a bit surreal.
“I have gone from doing gigs locally to now being on national television and being recognised in the street, so I am enjoying every minute of it while I can.
“It was an honour to be asked to open the store; it’s not the sort of thing I ever thought would happen to me.”
The Stockton store, which has created three new jobs for local people, sells a wide range of flooring, from carpets to wood flooring and the UK’s largest selection of artificial grass.
Chris Barber, Flooring Superstore Retail Operations Manager, said: “We were delighted when Ty accepted our offer to open the new store; especially as he is now in such high demand.
“It was a great way, as a local company, to mark our first store in Teesside and to recognise a fantastic local talent like Ty.
“We’re rooting for him in the knock-out rounds and everyone at Flooring Superstore will certainly be voting for him!”
You can follow Ty’s progress via The Voice on 21st March. On that evening, Olly will choose two members of his team to go through to the final, but even if Ty is not selected, he can still go through via an audience vote, so he is asking for people’s support.
He adds: “I am not ready for my journey on The Voice to end yet, so if Olly doesn’t choose me, it would be amazing if people could vote for me to stay.”
You can also follow Ty’s progress through his social media channels:
Facebook: @tylewisofficial
Twitter: @tylewisofficial
Youtube: @TyLewisSings