ROCHESTER — It was 1:24 p.m. Tuesday — less than an hour after downtown experts visiting the city sat down with local stakeholders — when an elderly couple from Maine slowed their car in front of a vacant North Main Street storefront and asked a question.

"Which way to Portsmouth?" the woman yelled from the car.

Scenes like this play out often in the Lilac City, but it seemed especially relevant Tuesday — hours after the meeting of experts and one day before the resource team gave Rochester Main Street ideas for improving the downtown.

When the experts met with city representative Wednesday, it seemed clear that Rochester needed to create its own local identity, its own reason for people to visit, shop and appreciate the area.

Deborah Turcott, executive director of the Land & Community Heritage Investment Program, said community authenticity — working with the city's existing attributes — will be key to success.

"You have the infrastructure. You have the tools and you have the people. Believe in yourself," she said. "Don't try and be anybody else."

The team applauded the city for having already expressed a vision in its master plan. "We're not necessarily suggesting that you do more studies. We want you to act," said Jay Schlinsog, a principal with Downtown Professionals Network.

Tim Reinders, a design coordinator with Main Street Iowa, said the city's history is a huge promotional asset and should be trumpeted. Building markers keep people interested, he said on the stage of the Opera House.

"People should know about this without going to the website," he said.

Sarah DiSano, director of the New Hampshire Downtown Resource Center, said the Opera House needs to be preserved. "This is a treasure," she said.

The crowd of roughly 50 cheered a bit at images of arches decorating downtown alleyways and colorful directional signs.

Schlinsog spoke about understanding market trends. He presented data showing the downtown's trade area, comprised of 135,000 people throughout the region, surpassing billion-dollar sales estimates and growing in population and median income.

The team spent four days meeting in small groups with community members. Business owners told them they want book stores and specialty food shops downtown. Team members said it's critical empty second- and third-floor space is filled to create an active, somewhat round-the-clock scene.

Chip Noon, the Main Street executive director, said the team's visit reinforced "you have to be incremental about this, because if you do too many things at once you end up doing a bad job."

Jennifer Stimac, who owns a downtown art gallery, said she came away from the event encouraged.

For about 45 minutes Tuesday, representatives of the city's government and industry sectors used the Port City's success to ram home everything the Lilac City is not.

Too few restaurants, not enough musical entertainment, filling empty space that — these were just some of the issues listed.

"What I'm very sad about is the empty storefronts," said Deputy Mayor Elaine Lauterborn, one of two city councilors at the meeting. "It just makes me very sad when I go past there."

Terry Desjardins, whose community work includes chairing the Planning Board, said Rochester needs an identity — "who it is and where we want to go."

"You somehow have to try to bring people in who will spend money," said Art Nickless, owner of Norway Plains Associates.

Al Felgar, chief executive officer at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, said the meeting seemed familiar to him: "I came here 15 years ago and we had the same conversation."

Some meeting participants, like Desjardins and Bob Mulcahy, chair of the city's economic development commission, heralded the city for fostering community.

The team's work was part of a resource package extended to Rochester Main Street. The group met with business owners Monday night at the 103 Restaurant, where the focus was on owners' wish lists and building a positive city image, for residents and visitors alike.

Reinders and others said downtown has the key ingredients to be successful, not least the "very picturesque" scene of church steeples and winding roads that appear at about the North Main Street bridge.