Diane Roth uses service all year long to create a connection with customers. The owner of clothing boutique L'Armoire in New Canaan, Connecticut, Roth acts as much a concierge as a retailer. She'll allow customers to take several garments home to try on — or she'll send the clothes to their houses. She'll open as early as 5 a.m. so people can drop off unwanted items on their way to the nearby commuter train station. Customers send her photos of something they like, and ask her to find something similar.

"I have a lot of executive women customers who don't have time," Roth says. "I'm like a personal assistant."