Ghost of a flea

The adobe building easily could fit in with the grazing cattle and mountainous desert Southwest landscape outside. But the leather bags and footwear on display inside aren't saddlebags and cowboy boots. The brand isn't Wrangler or Stetson. And the simple 4.6-by-7.6-meter cube structure is like nothing else around these parts.

Here in remote West Texas, where rodeo means bulls and broncos, is a tiny store adorned with canvas awnings carrying the logo of the Italian fashion house Prada. On view inside are 20 women's shoes and a half dozen handbags -- some in the four-figure price range.