Coffee with New Canaan's Tucker Murphy

is used to being seen. From the age of three into her early 20s, Murphy appeared in close to 100 local and national television commercials. It's been more than twenty years since she's appeared on small screens throughout the country, but Murphy is highly-visible to the people of New Canaan. However, as Executive Director of the Murphy is a lot more interested in being heard when it comes to bringing new business to town.

"Our vacancy rate in town is less than four percent and three more contracts were signed last weekend," said Murphy, who confirmed that one of the new tenants is Suburban Couture, a high-end, mother-daughter clothing store that will be located at 110 Main Street next to "By the end of March, we could be 100 percent on Elm Street, which hasn't happened in a long time."

Murphy, who is also on and served on the Board of Education at one time, is not only seeking new tenants for vacant stores, but she's working on a small make-over for New Canaan.

"I'm on this whole new branding mission," she said. "I'm going to to start training everybody in New Canaan to not call it downtown New Canaan. I want to talk about the village of New Canaan. You have downtown L.A., you have downtown Stamford, you have downtown wherever. It sounds very different than downtown," Murphy added. "It's all about setting us apart from every other town around here. We are different. We are unique."

Murphy might not be different, but she is rather unique and is someone who definitely stands out in New Canaan. However, she realizes that there are some critics out there.

"You can't be all things to all people all of the time," she said. "I know that everybody doesn't like me. I see myself as a cheerleader for New Canaan. If people find fault with that or whatever it is, it is. But I go to bed every night knowing that I did my job and then some."