Apple keeps topping itself in the retail arena. They just opened their biggest store anywhere, this time in Boston, according to Boston.com (free registration may be required). When you can get the mayor and news crews to attend a media preview, I would say you’ve done a great job.

I’ve been to the Apple stores in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but it looks like the Boston space outdoes them all at 20,000 square feet. The circular see-through staircase is a real eye-popper. On the third level, Apple seals the deal for me with an entire floor devoted to customer support and education, mostly at no cost.

The article’s author points out that only a primarily single-brand store can afford to offer such intense attention to customers. The big-box stores can’t because their staff would need to be educated in many brands, and couldn’t appear to push one brand over another.

How can you apply so much customer-focused attention in your store? Even though you’re not the size of an Apple Store, you can train your staff to really know the merchandise, and to be really helpful. In San Diego, I’ve been to the lesser-known Sony Style store in the same mall as an Apple Store. While the products at Sony Style range from MP3 players to laptops to HDTVs, the sales floor was nearly devoid of customers each time I visited. The sales staff was hardly as enthusiastic as Apple’s, and I left feeling I hadn’t enjoyed the greatest customer experience.

Don’t let that happen in your store. A little education on product and customer service can go a long way. Look where that took Apple. I can hardly wait to see what they do to outshine the Boston store.