For more than 21 years, Earwax Cafe has been a Wicker Park staple. Their vegetarian-friendly menu, delicious milkshakes and art-filled walls survived the earliest stages of Wicker Park's rapid gentrification, but the cafe will close at the end of this week due to financial problems.

Earwax announced the February 28 closure via Facebook, and confirmed the news to the Wicker Park/Bucktown Insider's Guide. Financial reasons are to blame, but further details were not immediately available.

As news spread, Earwax supporters headed to the restaurant's Facebook wall.

"Best wishes to all at Earwax," one fan wrote. "Thank you for 21 years of awesome food, great conversations, and a truly unique atmosphere! There is no place like it! You will be missed!!!"

We at HuffPost Chicago will also miss Earwax, and hope to make it in for one more Messy Burger this week.